2000
#12,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,238
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Lint
An occupational surname for a person who collected, processed, or sold lint, often for use in textile production.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,288 Americans carry the last name Lint. That puts it at #14,416 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lint 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 149,805
Census rank
#14,416
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,995 bearers of the surname Lint in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14416th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lint, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lint
The surname LINT has its origins in the Low Countries, encompassing modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands, and parts of northern France. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old Dutch word "lint," meaning a thin strip or ribbon, which may have been a reference to a narrow piece of land or a descriptive term for someone associated with the production or trade of linen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LINT appears in the Gysseling Corpus, a collection of medieval Dutch texts. In the 13th century, a person named Gillis Lint was mentioned in a document from the town of Bruges, now in Belgium. This suggests that the name was already established in the region during that time period.
During the 14th century, the LINT surname was found in various records, such as tax rolls and municipal documents, across the Low Countries. In 1387, a Gherard Lint was recorded in the archives of the city of Ghent, while a Jan Lint was mentioned in a document from the town of Leiden in the Netherlands in 1399.
The name LINT is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Hendrik Lint (1684-1756), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his portraits and genre scenes. Another was Pieter van Lint (1609-1690), a Flemish Baroque painter who specialized in landscapes and architectural paintings.
In the 19th century, the LINT surname gained prominence with the birth of Hendrik Lint (1808-1882), a Dutch politician and journalist who served as the mayor of Rotterdam from 1855 to 1877. Additionally, Jan Lint (1844-1925) was a renowned Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam and other cities.
The name LINT has also been found in various place names, such as Lint, a municipality in the Antwerp province of Belgium, and Lintelo, a village in the Netherlands. These place names may have influenced the spread and variations of the surname over time.
Overall, the surname LINT reflects a rich history rooted in the Low Countries, with connections to occupations, places, and notable individuals spanning several centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and it has since spread to other parts of the world, carrying with it the cultural heritage of its ancestral homeland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lint
Among Census respondents with the surname Lint, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lint 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 Lint surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,828
- Two or more races3.5% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 22
- Black or African American0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lint
Lint 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
#13,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,207
-31 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 1,036 places
2020
#14,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,995
-212 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 703 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,677 | 2,238 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,713 | 2,207 | 0.75 | -31 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 1,036 places |
| 2020 | #14,416 | 1,995 | 0.67 | -212 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 703 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 Lint 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 | #13,713 | #14,416 | -5.1% |
| Count | 2,207 | 1,995 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.67 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lint bearers went from 2,207 to 1,995 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 703 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,713 to #14,416.
FAQ
Lint surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lint?
Name Census estimates that about 2,288 living Americans carry the surname Lint. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,805 residents.
How common is Lint?
Lint ranks #14,416 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,995 people with the surname Lint. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,288), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Lint.
Has Lint become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lint went from 2,207 recorded bearers to 1,995. That is a decrease of 212 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,713 to #14,416.
What does the Census say about the background of Lint?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lint, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Lint in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,828 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lint appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Lint (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 Lint mean?
An occupational surname for a person who collected, processed, or sold lint, often for use in textile production. 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 Lint (0.67 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 Lint?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Lint is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.