2000
#9,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,209
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Lines
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a boundary or near the edge of a wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,533 Americans carry the last name Lines. That puts it at #9,992 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,015 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lines 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 Lines with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,015
Census rank
#9,992
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,081 bearers of the surname Lines in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9992nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lines, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lines
The surname "Lines" is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "line," which referred to a boundary or line between properties or territories. This name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a boundary line or border.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several entries for people with the surname "Lines" or similar spellings, such as "de la Lyne" or "atte Lyne." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in various parts of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Lines" is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mentions a "William de la Line." This spelling variation further reinforces the connection to the Old English word for boundary or line.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname appeared in various records across England, often associated with specific place names. For example, in 1327, a "John de la Lyne" is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, while a "William atte Lyne" is recorded in the Court Rolls of Essex in 1369.
One notable historical figure with the surname "Lines" was Sir Robert Lines (c. 1560-1634), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1617. He was also a member of the Virginia Company, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown.
Another prominent individual was John Lines (1629-1681), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the pastor of the Church of St. Mary in Nottingham. He was a vocal critic of the Restoration of the monarchy and was imprisoned for his nonconformist views.
In the 18th century, Joseph Lines (1701-1748) was a notable English engraver and illustrator known for his work on various publications, including editions of the works of William Shakespeare.
In the field of art, Henry Lines (1801-1876) was a British landscape painter and etcher who specialized in depictions of rural scenes and coastal views. His works were exhibited at the Royal Academy and other prominent galleries during the Victorian era.
Additionally, Samuel Lines (1778-1863) was an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. James in Bermondsey and the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb in Old Kent Road.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lines
Among Census respondents with the surname Lines, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lines 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 Lines surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,797
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 163
- Two or more races2.3% · 70
- Black or African American0.9% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lines
Lines 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
#9,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,472
+263 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#9,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,081
-391 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 624 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,325 | 3,209 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,368 | 3,472 | 1.18 | +263 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #9,992 | 3,081 | 1.03 | -391 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 624 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 Lines 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 | #9,368 | #9,992 | -6.7% |
| Count | 3,472 | 3,081 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.03 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lines bearers went from 3,472 to 3,081 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 624 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,368 to #9,992.
FAQ
Lines surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lines?
Name Census estimates that about 3,533 living Americans carry the surname Lines. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,015 residents.
How common is Lines?
Lines ranks #9,992 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,081 people with the surname Lines. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,533), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Lines.
Has Lines become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lines went from 3,472 recorded bearers to 3,081. That is a decrease of 391 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,368 to #9,992.
What does the Census say about the background of Lines?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lines, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Lines in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,797 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lines appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Lines (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 Lines mean?
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a boundary or near the edge of a wood. 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 Lines (1.03 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 last name Lines?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Lines at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.