Lindsey
Lindsey was the 1369th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 161 babies. Its best year was 1983, when it ranked 35th; the most babies were born in 1984 (9,005). Over the last ten years it has moved down 758 places. More babies were named Lindsey in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning island of Lincoln (place name) · English, Celtic, Old English
Say it LIN-zee /ˈlɪnzi/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,369 girls, down 339 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 161girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19849,005 babies
- Total since 1880
- 165,286babies recorded
What does the name Lindsey mean?
Lindsey comes from the district of Lindsey in Lincolnshire, Old English Lindesege, from a Brittonic word for 'pool, lake' (as in Lincoln) and Old English ēg 'island', as Wiktionary notes. It became a Scottish surname (Lindsay), borne by the Earls of Crawford, and then a given name, first for boys and later, especially in the 1980s, mostly for girls in the US.
*lindos (Proto-Celtic, “lake, pool”)ēg (Old English, “island”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Lindsay, Linsey, Lyndsey.
See also: English names, names that mean water, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lindsey', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Lindsey popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 7,735 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,369 | 161 |
| 2020 | #1,030 | 244 |
| 2010 | #400 | 804 |
| 2000 | #103 | 3,211 |
| 1990 | #51 | 6,782 |
| 1980 | #91 | 3,386 |
| 1970 | #1,457 | 70 |
| 1960 | #1,778 | 41 |
| 1950 | #1,289 | 51 |
| 1940 | #4,738 | 5 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Lindsey, counting every spelling?
Lindsey is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #943 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,369 for Lindsey on its own. Together these spellings went to 259 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lindsey | 161 | #1,369 | 896 |
| Lindsay | 84 | #2,208 | 541 |
| Lyndsey | 14 | #7,723 | 91 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Lindsey?
161 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lindsey (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lindsey born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 52 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lindsey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lindsey?
About 153,300 people born in the US named Lindsey are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 30 and 42. That makes Lindsey mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Lindsey by state
How common Lindsey was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Indiana (2.2×). In 27 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lindsey: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lindsey, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lindsey · Sibling names for Lindsey
Questions about the name Lindsey
What does Lindsey mean?
Lindsey means “island of Lincoln (place name)” (English, Celtic, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Lindsey?
Lindsey was the 1369th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 161 babies. Its best year was 1983, when it ranked 35th; the most babies were born in 1984 (9,005). Over the last ten years it has moved down 758 places. More babies were named Lindsey in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Lindsey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lindsey in the US.
Where is Lindsey most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lindsey was most common in Indiana (0.24 per 1,000 girls), followed by Pennsylvania and Maryland.