2000
#2,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,178
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.51
Uncommon Last name
Linn
A Scottish and Irish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a waterfall, pool, or lake.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,757 Americans carry the last name Linn. That puts it at #2,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,915 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linn 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 Linn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,915
Census rank
#2,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,997 bearers of the surname Linn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linn
Among Census respondents with the surname Linn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Linn 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 Linn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 10,578
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 423
- Two or more races3.5% · 422
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 396
- Black or African American0.8% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 82
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linn
Linn 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
#2,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,508
+330 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 4.24
Rank movement Down 162 places
2020
#2,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,997
-511 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 4.01
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,714 | 12,178 | 4.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,876 | 12,508 | 4.24 | +330 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 162 places |
| 2020 | #2,934 | 11,997 | 4.01 | -511 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 58 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 Linn 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 | #2,876 | #2,934 | -2.0% |
| Count | 12,508 | 11,997 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.24 | 4.01 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linn bearers went from 12,508 to 11,997 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,876 to #2,934.
FAQ
Linn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linn?
Name Census estimates that about 13,757 living Americans carry the surname Linn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,915 residents.
How common is Linn?
Linn ranks #2,934 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,997 people with the surname Linn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,757), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Linn.
Has Linn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linn went from 12,508 recorded bearers to 11,997. That is a decrease of 511 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,876 to #2,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Linn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Linn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (10,578 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Linn (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 Linn mean?
A Scottish and Irish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a waterfall, pool, or lake. 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 Linn (4.01 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 Linn?
You can see how many people have the last name Linn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.