2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Lintern
An English surname possibly derived from the Old English for "lime tree town".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 143 Americans carry the last name Lintern. That puts it at #138,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,396,883 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lintern 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 Lintern with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
143
1 in 2,396,883
Census rank
#138,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
125
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 125 bearers of the surname Lintern in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 138300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lintern, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lintern
The surname Lintern is of English origin, deriving from a habitational name for someone who lived near a linden tree, from the Old English 'linden' and 'treow' meaning 'linden tree'. The name was first recorded in the late 12th century in Buckinghamshire, England.
During the medieval period, the name was found in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where it appeared as Roger de Lyndeherst. In the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, the name was recorded as William de Lindehirst.
The earliest known bearer of the name Lintern was William de Lynden, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1198. Another early record is that of Robert de Lindeherst, found in the Assize Rolls of Worcestershire in 1221.
The Lintern name is also associated with several place names in England, such as Lintern in Gloucestershire, which was recorded as Lindehyrst in the Domesday Book of 1086, and Lintern Brook in Buckinghamshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Lintern throughout history include Thomas Lintern (c. 1535-1594), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was Sir William Lintern (c. 1605-1655), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, John Lintern (1718-1798) was a renowned English architect and surveyor, best known for his work on the Radcliffe Camera at the University of Oxford. Samuel Lintern (1786-1865) was a British engraver and artist, famous for his engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects.
During the 19th century, William Lintern (1801-1872) was a notable English watercolor painter and lithographer, known for his landscapes and architectural scenes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lintern
Among Census respondents with the surname Lintern, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lintern 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 Lintern surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.8% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lintern
Lintern appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#138,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+22 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 18,934 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #138,300 | 125 | 0.04 | +22 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 18,934 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 Lintern 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 | #157,234 | #138,300 | 12.0% |
| Count | 103 | 125 | 21.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 39.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lintern bearers went from 103 to 125 (+21.4% change). The surname moved up 18,934 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #138,300.
FAQ
Lintern surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lintern?
Name Census estimates that about 143 living Americans carry the surname Lintern. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,396,883 residents.
How common is Lintern?
Lintern ranks #138,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 125 people with the surname Lintern. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lintern.
Has Lintern become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lintern went from 103 recorded bearers to 125. That is an increase of 22 (+21.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #138,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Lintern?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lintern, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Lintern in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.8% (121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lintern appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.8%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Lintern (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 Lintern mean?
An English surname possibly derived from the Old English for "lime tree town". 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 Lintern (0.04 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 Lintern?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.