Lindsay
Lindsay is both an English and Scottish surname and a given name. The given name comes from the Scottish surname and clan name, which comes from the toponym Lindsey, which in turn comes from the Old English toponym Lindesege for the city of Lincoln, in which Lind is the original Brittonic form of the name of Lincoln and island refers to Lincoln being an island in the surrounding fenland.
Meaning & Origin of Lindsay
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Lindsay is both an English and Scottish surname and a given name. The given name comes from the Scottish surname and clan name, which comes from the toponym Lindsey, which in turn comes from the Old English toponym Lindesege for the city of Lincoln, in which Lind is the original Brittonic form of the name of Lincoln and island refers to Lincoln being an island in the surrounding fenland.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Lindsay
Lindsay first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1916, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1983, when 8,622 Lindsays were born — ranking #36 that year. As of 2026, Lindsay ranks #2,181 for baby girls with 87 births, falling sharply (-39%). In total, more than 130K Lindsays have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Lindsay
Phonetically similar names — useful when Lindsay 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 Lindsay
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About the name Lindsay
Lindsay is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1916 and has accumulated 130K births in the dataset. Lindsay's peak popularity came in 1983 when it ranked #36. Use the chart and map above to compare Lindsay's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1983 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all girl 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.