2000
#492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 22.69
Uncommon Last name
Lindsey
From the English place name Lindsey, derived from the Old English elements "lind" meaning lime tree and "eg" meaning island.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 69,557 Americans carry the last name Lindsey. That puts it at #548 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lindsey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lindsey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
70K
1 in 4,928
Census rank
#548
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
61K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 60,657 bearers of the surname Lindsey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 548th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lindsey
The surname LINDSEY originated in England, with its roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lind" and "ey," which translate to "lime tree" and "island" or "river meadow," respectively. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a lime tree or in a meadow near a river.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various records and documents, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled "Lindesie." This entry referred to a location in Lincolnshire, which may have been the birthplace or residence of some of the earliest individuals with this surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname LINDSEY was Robert de Lindsey, a prominent English nobleman who lived during the 13th century. He served as Lord of Lamberton and held significant lands in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Sir David Lindsey was a Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
During the Tudor period, Sir Walter Lindsey was a distinguished courtier and military commander who served under King Henry VIII. He was involved in several military campaigns, including the Battle of Flodden in 1513.
In the 17th century, Theophilus Lindsey was an English theologian and founder of the Unitarian movement in England. He was born in 1723 and played a significant role in promoting religious tolerance and reform.
Another notable person with this surname was John Lindsey, a Scottish mathematician and astronomer born in 1686. He made important contributions to the study of planetary orbits and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1728.
Throughout history, the LINDSEY surname has been associated with various places, including Lindsey in Lincolnshire, which was once a separate administrative county. The name has also been linked to other locations, such as Lindsey in Suffolk and Lindsey in Essex, further demonstrating its widespread presence across England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lindsey
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lindsey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lindsey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.7% · 39,232
- Black or African American25.3% · 15,358
- Two or more races5.2% · 3,135
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,999
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 566
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 367
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lindsey
Lindsey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,760
+2,561 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 21.62
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 60,657
-3,103 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 20.29
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #492 | 61,199 | 22.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #529 | 63,760 | 21.62 | +2,561 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #548 | 60,657 | 20.29 | -3,103 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 19 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lindsey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #529 | #548 | -3.6% |
| Count | 63,760 | 60,657 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 21.62 | 20.29 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lindsey bearers went from 63,760 to 60,657 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #529 to #548.
FAQ
Lindsey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lindsey?
Name Census estimates that about 69,557 living Americans carry the surname Lindsey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,928 residents.
How common is Lindsey?
Lindsey ranks #548 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 60,657 people with the surname Lindsey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (69,557), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Lindsey.
Has Lindsey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lindsey went from 63,760 recorded bearers to 60,657. That is a decrease of 3,103 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #529 to #548.
What does the Census say about the background of Lindsey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lindsey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.7% (39,232 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lindsey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.7%), Black (25.3%), Two or More Races (5.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lindsey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lindsey mean?
From the English place name Lindsey, derived from the Old English elements "lind" meaning lime tree and "eg" meaning island. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lindsey (20.29 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Lindsey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.