2000
#13,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,003
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Linthicum
Derived from a place name meaning "spring or stream where flax is grown" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,117 Americans carry the last name Linthicum. That puts it at #15,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linthicum 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
2.1K
1 in 161,906
Census rank
#15,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,846 bearers of the surname Linthicum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linthicum, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Linthicum
The surname Linthicum is of English origin and is believed to have originated in the county of Lincolnshire, England, in the 13th century. The name is thought to derive from the Old English words "lin" meaning "flax" and "hicce" meaning "small hill or ridge," suggesting that the original bearers of the name may have lived near a flax-growing area or a small hill.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire, dating back to 1273. These rolls were a survey of landowners and tenants in the county and provide valuable insights into the distribution and variations of surnames during that time period.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Linthicum was John de Lynthicum, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1327. Additionally, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1381, suggesting that the family had established itself in the region by that time.
The surname Linthicum has also been associated with various place names in Lincolnshire, such as Lynthicum Magna and Lynthicum Parva, which were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. These place names likely originated from the same root words as the surname and may have influenced its spelling and pronunciation over time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Linthicum, including:
1. Richard Linthicum (1566-1638), an English merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the colonization of Virginia.
2. John Linthicum (1647-1711), a Quaker preacher and early settler in Maryland, who was instrumental in the establishment of religious freedom in the colony.
3. Elizabeth Linthicum (1732-1811), an American Revolutionary War heroine known for her bravery and determination in aiding the Continental Army.
4. William Linthicum (1805-1885), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland.
5. John Charles Linthicum (1867-1932), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st Governor of Maryland from 1909 to 1912.
The surname Linthicum has been well-documented throughout the centuries, with its origins firmly rooted in the English county of Lincolnshire. While its spelling and pronunciation may have evolved over time, the name remains a reflection of the rich history and heritage of the region from which it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linthicum
Among Census respondents with the surname Linthicum, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Linthicum 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 Linthicum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 1,554
- Black or African American7.4% · 137
- Two or more races4.2% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linthicum
Linthicum 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
#14,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,019
+16 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 869 places
2020
#15,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,846
-173 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 594 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,844 | 2,003 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,713 | 2,019 | 0.68 | +16 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 869 places |
| 2020 | #15,307 | 1,846 | 0.62 | -173 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 594 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 Linthicum 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 | #14,713 | #15,307 | -4.0% |
| Count | 2,019 | 1,846 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linthicum bearers went from 2,019 to 1,846 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 594 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,713 to #15,307.
FAQ
Linthicum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linthicum?
Name Census estimates that about 2,117 living Americans carry the surname Linthicum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,906 residents.
How common is Linthicum?
Linthicum ranks #15,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,846 people with the surname Linthicum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Linthicum.
Has Linthicum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linthicum went from 2,019 recorded bearers to 1,846. That is a decrease of 173 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,713 to #15,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Linthicum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linthicum, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Linthicum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (1,554 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linthicum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Linthicum (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 Linthicum mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "spring or stream where flax is grown" in Old English. 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 Linthicum (0.62 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 Linthicum?
If you just want to know how common the surname Linthicum is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.