Lincoln

LINK-un /ˈlɪŋ.kən/

Boy Old English / Latin Modern Classic top 100 Rising — climbing in current registries

Meaning of Lincoln

Root meaning "lake colony"

Lincoln is the English city name, from the Latin Lindum Colonia — Lindum from the Brythonic Celtic lindo ('lake, pool') + Colonia ('Roman colony'). The city name became a common English surname, and the surname became a given name through the presidential association with Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), whose assassination transformed his name into a symbol of national memory.

Current popularity of Lincoln

Rankings from the most recent fully-published year in each national registry. Source links at the foot of the page.

RegistryYearRank
United States (SSA)2024#30

Notable bearers of Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (16th US President, 1809–1865); Lincoln Center (New York).

Similar names & variants

Cognates, spelling variants and close relatives. Click any name with an underline to read its own page.

LinkLinc

Sibling-name suggestions

Names that pair stylistically with Lincoln — useful as middle names or for siblings.

ReaganKennedyHudsonEleanor

About this entry

Compiled by the Baby Name Finder editorial team following the rules in our Methodology and Editorial guidelines. If you spot an error, please tell us; our corrections policy is at /editorial-guidelines#corrections.

Sources

Last reviewed: 2026-05-31