Lincoln
Lincoln is a male given name, and according to US data based on 2024 births, about 1 in 376 people are given the name. Lincoln is also a surname and sometimes masculine given name of Old English origin. The surname originates from the city of Lincoln, England, whose name means "lake/pool colony", combining the Brythonic word lynn with the Latin word colonia.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Lincoln
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Lincoln is a male given name, and according to US data based on 2024 births, about 1 in 376 people are given the name. Lincoln is also a surname and sometimes masculine given name of Old English origin. The surname originates from the city of Lincoln, England, whose name means "lake/pool colony", combining the Brythonic word lynn with the Latin word colonia.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Lincoln
The earliest SSA record of Lincoln as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 10 babies received it. 2017 was its biggest year on record, with 8,201 newborns named Lincoln — #41 in the national rankings. About 48% of every Lincoln on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Lincoln ranks #87 for baby boys with 3,892 births, falling sharply (-37%). All told, over 108K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Lincoln
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Lincoln. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Lincoln
Phonetically similar names — useful when Lincoln is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lincoln
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About the name Lincoln
Lincoln is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 108K births in the dataset. Lincoln's peak popularity came in 2017 when it ranked #40. Use the chart and map above to compare Lincoln's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2017 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.