2000
#22,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,071
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Lynde
A locative surname referring to someone from Lind, a place name of uncertain etymology.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,185 Americans carry the last name Lynde. That puts it at #25,124 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 289,244 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lynde 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
1.2K
1 in 289,244
Census rank
#25,124
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,033 bearers of the surname Lynde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25124th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lynde, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lynde
The surname LYNDE is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is derived from the Old English word "lind" or "linden", which means a lime tree. The surname likely originated in England, where it was initially used as a topographic name for someone who lived near a lime tree or a grove of lime trees.
The earliest recorded use of the surname LYNDE dates back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Radulfus de la Linde, who was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the surname LYNDE appeared in various forms, such as de Linde, de la Lynde, and Lynde, reflecting the transition from Norman French to English orthography. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Humphrey Lynde (c. 1480-1536), a distinguished English soldier and courtier during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the LYNDE family established themselves as prominent landowners and gentry in several counties in England, including Buckinghamshire, Essex, and Hertfordshire. One of the most famous members of the family was Sir Humphrey Lynde (1579-1636), an English politician and judge who served as a Member of Parliament and Chief Baron of the Exchequer.
Another notable bearer of the surname LYNDE was Benjamin Lynde (1666-1745), an American merchant and politician who served as the Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature in Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was also a member of the Council of the Province of Massachusetts Bay and played a significant role in the colonial government.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the LYNDE surname spread across the Atlantic to the United States and Canada, with many families settling in New England and other parts of North America. One prominent figure from this period was Sir Robert Lynde (1753-1838), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1816 to 1820.
Throughout its history, the LYNDE surname has been associated with various place names, such as Lynde Green in Buckinghamshire, Linden in Herefordshire, and Lyndon in Rutland, all of which are likely derived from the Old English word "lind" or "linden".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lynde
Among Census respondents with the surname Lynde, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lynde 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 Lynde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 967
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 36
- Two or more races2.0% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lynde
Lynde 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
#23,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,078
+7 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 1,128 places
2020
#25,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,033
-45 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 1,569 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,427 | 1,071 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,555 | 1,078 | 0.37 | +7 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 1,128 places |
| 2020 | #25,124 | 1,033 | 0.35 | -45 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 1,569 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 Lynde 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 | #23,555 | #25,124 | -6.7% |
| Count | 1,078 | 1,033 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.35 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lynde bearers went from 1,078 to 1,033 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 1,569 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,555 to #25,124.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lynde
FAQ
Lynde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lynde?
Name Census estimates that about 1,185 living Americans carry the surname Lynde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 289,244 residents.
How common is Lynde?
Lynde ranks #25,124 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 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 1,033 people with the surname Lynde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,185), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 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 Lynde.
Has Lynde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lynde went from 1,078 recorded bearers to 1,033. That is a decrease of 45 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,555 to #25,124.
What does the Census say about the background of Lynde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lynde, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Lynde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (967 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lynde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Lynde (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 Lynde mean?
A locative surname referring to someone from Lind, a place name of uncertain etymology. 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 Lynde (0.35 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 surname Lynde?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.