2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Linzay
A habitational surname derived from a place name in Ayrshire, Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Linzay. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linzay 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Linzay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linzay, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Linzay
The surname LINZAY is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Lincolnshire, during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "lin," meaning a linden tree, and "ey," meaning an island or dry ground in a marsh.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LINZAY name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lindeseia." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a particular location or landholding in Lincolnshire during the time of the Norman conquest.
In the 13th century, the LINZAY name appears in various historical documents with spellings such as "Lyndesey," "Lyndesay," and "Lyndesaye." These variations likely reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
One notable figure bearing the LINZAY surname was Sir James Linzay (1554-1601), a Scottish nobleman and soldier who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh. He played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation and was a staunch supporter of the Protestant cause.
Another individual of note was Sir David Linzay (1685-1764), a British naval officer who rose to the rank of Admiral. He served with distinction during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.
In the literary realm, Robert Linzay (1776-1855) was a Scottish author and editor who contributed to several influential publications of his time, including the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
The LINZAY name can also be traced to places like Lindsay in Lincolnshire, which may have been named after a family that held lands in the area during the medieval period.
Throughout the centuries, the LINZAY surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including clergy, academics, artists, and military personnel, among others. While the name may have evolved in its spelling and pronunciation over time, its roots can be firmly traced back to the English county of Lincolnshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linzay
Among Census respondents with the surname Linzay, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Linzay 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 Linzay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 96
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linzay
Linzay 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-17 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,954 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 1,412 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 14,954 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 Linzay 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 | #139,228 | #154,182 | -10.7% |
| Count | 120 | 103 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linzay bearers went from 120 to 103 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 14,954 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #154,182.
FAQ
Linzay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linzay?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Linzay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Linzay?
Linzay ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Linzay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Linzay.
Has Linzay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linzay went from 120 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Linzay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linzay, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Linzay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linzay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Linzay (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 Linzay mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name in Ayrshire, Scotland. 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 Linzay (0.03 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 common is the surname Linzay?
See how many people are called Linzay on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.