Lindsey last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Lindsey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lindsey.

Meaning of Lindsey

From the English place name Lindsey, derived from the Old English elements "lind" meaning lime tree and "eg" meaning island.

Lindsey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lindsey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lindsey in America

Lindsey is the 529th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lindsey surname appeared 63,760 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 22 people would have the surname Lindsey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lindsey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 529 492 7.25%
Count 63,760 61,199 4.10%
Proportion per 100k 21.62 22.69 -4.83%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lindsey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lindsey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lindsey was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 67.78% 43,217
Non-Hispanic Black Only 25.72% 16,399
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.79% 504
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.68% 434
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.73% 1,741
Hispanic Origin 2.31% 1,473

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lindsey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 67.78% 70.65% -4.15%
Black 25.72% 24.56% 4.61%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.79% 0.74% 6.54%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.68% 0.60% 12.50%
Two or More Races 2.73% 1.96% 32.84%
Hispanic 2.31% 1.49% 43.16%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lindsey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lindsey, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Lindsey last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 10, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/lindsey-surname-popularity/.

"Lindsey last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/lindsey-surname-popularity/. Accessed 10 October, 2024

Lindsey last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/lindsey-surname-popularity/.

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