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

Linn, 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 Linn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Linn in America

Linn is the 2876th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Linn surname appeared 12,508 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Linn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Linn 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.

The history of the last name Linn

The surname Linn is believed to have originated in Scotland and England. It is derived from the Old English word "linn," which means a waterfall, cascade, or torrent. The name is likely to have originated from someone who lived near a waterfall or a river with a waterfall.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century in Scotland. In 1214, a charter from King William the Lion mentions a "William de Linn" who was granted lands near the River Tyne in East Lothian, Scotland. This suggests that the name was already established in Scotland by the early 13th century.

In England, the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Linna" or "de Linne." This indicates that the name was present in England even before the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Domesday Book entries suggest that the name was derived from place names like Linn in Dorset or Linn in Norfolk.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Radulfus de Linn, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1197. Another early bearer of the name was Adam de Linn, who was granted lands in Renfrewshire, Scotland, by King Alexander II in 1226.

The name Linn has been associated with several notable historical figures. Sir Walter Linn (1590-1662) was a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1652 to 1654. John Linn (1763-1805) was a Scottish botanist and explorer who documented the flora of the American Southeast.

Other notable individuals with the surname Linn include:

1. James Linn (1750-1820), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey.
2. William Linn (1752-1808), an American Presbyterian minister and educator who co-founded the Presbyterian Church in Western Pennsylvania.
3. Archibald Linn (1802-1857), a Scottish-American portrait painter known for his portraits of prominent figures in the American South.
4. John Blair Linn (1777-1804), an American naval officer who served during the Quasi-War with France and the First Barbary War.
5. Lewis Fields Linn (1795-1843), an American physician and politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Missouri and advocated for the exploration and settlement of the American West.

The surname Linn has also been associated with various place names, such as Linn County in Iowa, Linn Creek in Missouri, and Linn Grove in Iowa, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Linn

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

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 Linn was:

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 Linn has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Linn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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