2000
#10,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,867
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Lindsley
Derived from a place name meaning "flax meadow" or "linden tree meadow" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,205 Americans carry the last name Lindsley. That puts it at #10,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,944 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lindsley 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 Lindsley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,944
Census rank
#10,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,795 bearers of the surname Lindsley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lindsley
The surname Lindsley originates from the village of Lindsley, located in the county of Worcestershire, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "lind" meaning lime tree and "leah" meaning a woodland clearing or meadow. It initially referred to someone who lived near a clearing with lime trees.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Lindesleig". This was a survey of landholdings and property commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England.
In the 13th century, records show Robert de Lindsley was a noble landowner in Worcestershire. Another early reference is to William de Lindeley, who was documented in the Court Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
By the 16th century, the spelling had evolved to Lindsley, as seen in the Parish Records of St. Michael's Church in Stoke Prior, Worcestershire, which mention John Lindsley in 1541.
One of the earliest emigrants to the American colonies was Francis Lindsley, who arrived in New England from England in 1637. He settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
Notable individuals with the Lindsley surname include John Lindsley (1776-1857), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey. Philip Lindsley (1786-1855) was an educator and the president of the University of Nashville.
Erasmus Darwin Lindsley (1808-1837) was an American artist known for his landscape paintings. John Berrien Lindsley (1822-1897) was a prominent physician and educator who served as the Chancellor of the University of Nashville.
Philander Priestley Lindsley (1836-1919) was a Baptist minister and author, best known for his book "The Kingdom of God is the True Church".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lindsley
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lindsley 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 Lindsley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 2,466
- Two or more races3.8% · 107
- Black or African American3.4% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lindsley
Lindsley 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
#11,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,889
+22 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 709 places
2020
#10,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,795
-94 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,301 | 2,867 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,010 | 2,889 | 0.98 | +22 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 709 places |
| 2020 | #10,888 | 2,795 | 0.94 | -94 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 122 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 Lindsley 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 | #11,010 | #10,888 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,889 | 2,795 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.94 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lindsley bearers went from 2,889 to 2,795 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 122 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,010 to #10,888.
FAQ
Lindsley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lindsley?
Name Census estimates that about 3,205 living Americans carry the surname Lindsley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,944 residents.
How common is Lindsley?
Lindsley ranks #10,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,795 people with the surname Lindsley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,205), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lindsley.
Has Lindsley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lindsley went from 2,889 recorded bearers to 2,795. That is a decrease of 94 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,010 to #10,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Lindsley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Lindsley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (2,466 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lindsley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (3.4%). 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 Lindsley (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 Lindsley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "flax meadow" or "linden tree meadow" in Old English. 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 Lindsley (0.94 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 Americans have the surname Lindsley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.