2000
#4,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.73
Rare Last name
Linville
Habitational surname derived from several places in England, likely referring to a "flax field" or "flax hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,095 Americans carry the last name Linville. That puts it at #4,850 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,341 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linville 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
8.1K
1 in 42,341
Census rank
#4,850
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,059 bearers of the surname Linville in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4850th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linville, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linville
Among Census respondents with the surname Linville, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Linville 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 Linville surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 6,438
- Two or more races3.6% · 257
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 181
- Black or African American1.4% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linville
Linville 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
#4,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,517
+163 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 270 places
2020
#4,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,059
-458 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,447 | 7,354 | 2.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,717 | 7,517 | 2.55 | +163 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 270 places |
| 2020 | #4,850 | 7,059 | 2.36 | -458 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 133 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 Linville 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 | #4,717 | #4,850 | -2.8% |
| Count | 7,517 | 7,059 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.55 | 2.36 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linville bearers went from 7,517 to 7,059 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 133 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,717 to #4,850.
FAQ
Linville surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linville?
Name Census estimates that about 8,095 living Americans carry the surname Linville. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,341 residents.
How common is Linville?
Linville ranks #4,850 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,059 people with the surname Linville. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,095), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Linville.
Has Linville become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linville went from 7,517 recorded bearers to 7,059. That is a decrease of 458 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,717 to #4,850.
What does the Census say about the background of Linville?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linville, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Linville in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (6,438 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linville appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Linville (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 Linville mean?
Habitational surname derived from several places in England, likely referring to a "flax field" or "flax hill." 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 Linville (2.36 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 are called Linville?
If you just want to know how many people are called Linville, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.