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

Linville, 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 Linville surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Linville in America

Linville is the 4717th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Linville surname appeared 7,517 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Linville.

We can also compare 2010 data for Linville 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 Linville

The surname LINVILLE has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "lind" meaning a lime or linden tree, and "vill" meaning a farmstead or village. Thus, LINVILLE likely referred to someone who lived near a lime tree grove or hamlet.

One of the earliest recorded spellings of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1190, where it appears as "de Lindevill". This suggests the name may have originated as a locational name for someone from a place called Linville, which no longer exists.

Another early reference is in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1214, where one Robert de Lindevill is mentioned. This shows the name was present in different parts of England during the Middle Ages.

In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273 record a John de Lyndefeld, an example of the name's varied spellings over time as it evolved from its Old English roots.

One of the earliest known bearers of the LINVILLE name was Sir John Linville, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses in 15th century England. He is recorded as owning lands in Northamptonshire in 1485.

Moving into the 16th century, we find records of a William Linvell in the Wills at Chester from 1591. The "Linvell" spelling provides another example of how flexible surname spellings were before they became standardized.

Jump ahead to 1659 and we have a record of one Roger Linvill, listed in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire - showing the name's continued presence in Northern England.

A famous bearer was Admiral Samuel Linzee (1742-1836), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. Though his last name was spelled differently, its roots connect back to the LINVILLE surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Linville

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

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

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

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