Lincoln
The English city, from Brythonic lindo “lake” plus Latin colonia; American use honors Abraham Lincoln.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Lincoln appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 2013 to 2025. Its biggest year was 2017, when 8,202 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 41 nationally. Its best ranking came in 2020, at No. 40. In 2025 it ranked No. 69 for boys. All told, 106,968 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Lyncoln (651), Linkoln (607) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Lindsey, Lindsay
Explore Lincoln interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 94 | No. 498 |
| 1890s | 141 | No. 368 |
| 1900s | 176 | No. 436 |
| 1910s | 905 | No. 456 |
| 1920s | 1,302 | No. 494 |
| 1930s | 852 | No. 560 |
| 1940s | 845 | No. 640 |
| 1950s | 818 | No. 721 |
| 1960s | 1,260 | No. 554 |
| 1970s | 1,318 | No. 618 |
| 1980s | 1,158 | No. 733 |
| 1990s | 1,693 | No. 748 |
| 2000s | 8,804 | No. 189 |
| 2010s | 52,017 | No. 41 |
| 2020s | 33,535 | No. 40 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
🍼 Enjoying this? Buy my baby a diaper
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.