Lynn
Lynn is given to both girls and boys: 69 girls and 15 boys were given it in 2025 (#2,558 among girls’ names and #6,029 among boys’, #3,995 among all names counting both); 234,778 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026). Girls have outnumbered boys among babies named Lynn every year since 1942.
An estimated 169,000 Americans named Lynn and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (72% of everyone recorded); the median is 67 years old and half are between 59 and 73.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Lynn by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Lynn mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Lynn is “a female given name transferred from the surname, popular as a middle name.”
Also “a male given name transferred from the surname, usually used as a middle name.”
/lɪn/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Lynn?
#2,558 among girls’ names, 2025
Lynn fell from #2,253 in 2015 to #2,558 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 47.1 to 42.9 per million.
8,989 babies in 1956, the peak
Lynn peaked in 1956, when 8,989 babies were given it (7,736 girls, #58 among girls’ names). The 84 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are under 1% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 69 | #2,558 | 15 | #6,029 |
| 2024 | 60 | #2,811 | 15 | #6,067 |
| 2023 | 52 | #3,165 | 14 | #6,380 |
| 2022 | 54 | #3,059 | 13 | #6,693 |
| 2021 | 68 | #2,577 | 23 | #4,443 |
| 2020 | 79 | #2,272 | 12 | #6,868 |
| 2019 | 96 | #2,004 | 19 | #5,075 |
| 2018 | 71 | #2,497 | 16 | #5,684 |
| 2017 | 90 | #2,138 | 20 | #4,859 |
| 2016 | 93 | #2,105 | 10 | #7,929 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 84 | #2,253 | 16 | #5,639 |
| 2014 | 88 | #2,165 | 16 | #5,616 |
| 2013 | 92 | #2,088 | 21 | #4,556 |
| 2012 | 92 | #2,088 | 28 | #3,763 |
| 2011 | 110 | #1,834 | 30 | #3,567 |
| 2010 | 111 | #1,838 | 19 | #4,958 |
| 2009 | 94 | #2,140 | 19 | #5,036 |
| 2008 | 107 | #1,973 | 22 | #4,479 |
| 2007 | 137 | #1,630 | 18 | #5,134 |
| 2006 | 119 | #1,753 | 17 | #5,217 |
| 2005 | 151 | #1,424 | 22 | #4,137 |
| 2004 | 126 | #1,567 | 22 | #4,081 |
| 2003 | 142 | #1,404 | 29 | #3,241 |
| 2002 | 138 | #1,401 | 37 | #2,618 |
| 2001 | 153 | #1,282 | 27 | #3,279 |
| 2000 | 169 | #1,183 | 49 | #2,071 |
| 1999 | 164 | #1,183 | 40 | #2,285 |
| 1998 | 168 | #1,129 | 34 | #2,534 |
| 1997 | 181 | #1,054 | 36 | #2,328 |
| 1996 | 209 | #932 | 31 | #2,510 |
| 1995 | 211 | #897 | 45 | #1,899 |
| 1994 | 260 | #786 | 52 | #1,720 |
| 1993 | 264 | #781 | 57 | #1,588 |
| 1992 | 286 | #740 | 58 | #1,532 |
| 1991 | 339 | #650 | 66 | #1,400 |
| 1990 | 397 | #582 | 77 | #1,260 |
| 1989 | 420 | #542 | 86 | #1,144 |
| 1988 | 469 | #484 | 83 | #1,092 |
| 1987 | 475 | #462 | 84 | #1,043 |
| 1986 | 514 | #424 | 89 | #977 |
| 1985 | 603 | #377 | 110 | #865 |
| 1984 | 706 | #329 | 103 | #868 |
| 1983 | 788 | #295 | 102 | #871 |
| 1982 | 834 | #295 | 123 | #801 |
| 1981 | 953 | #260 | 170 | #659 |
| 1980 | 1,016 | #253 | 170 | #663 |
| 1979 | 1,070 | #242 | 143 | #725 |
| 1978 | 1,107 | #223 | 152 | #679 |
| 1977 | 1,098 | #227 | 150 | #694 |
| 1976 | 1,147 | #215 | 182 | #606 |
| 1975 | 1,423 | #182 | 192 | #584 |
| 1974 | 1,644 | #163 | 224 | #533 |
| 1973 | 1,933 | #145 | 267 | #482 |
| 1972 | 2,252 | #135 | 291 | #461 |
| 1971 | 2,671 | #128 | 341 | #444 |
| 1970 | 3,264 | #119 | 381 | #420 |
| 1969 | 3,648 | #103 | 432 | #377 |
| 1968 | 4,103 | #85 | 455 | #363 |
| 1967 | 4,196 | #81 | 439 | #357 |
| 1966 | 4,306 | #81 | 485 | #341 |
| 1965 | 4,668 | #80 | 514 | #335 |
| 1964 | 5,675 | #72 | 645 | #307 |
| 1963 | 5,827 | #73 | 719 | #288 |
| 1962 | 6,217 | #71 | 833 | #264 |
| 1961 | 6,441 | #71 | 892 | #264 |
| 1960 | 6,850 | #64 | 959 | #256 |
| 1959 | 7,058 | #63 | 1,008 | #252 |
| 1958 | 7,214 | #60 | 1,052 | #239 |
| 1957 | 7,442 | #61 | 1,274 | #210 |
| 1956 | 7,736 | #58 | 1,253 | #208 |
| 1955 | 7,355 | #62 | 1,333 | #196 |
| 1954 | 6,780 | #63 | 1,415 | #187 |
| 1953 | 5,997 | #67 | 1,555 | #170 |
| 1952 | 5,818 | #71 | 1,592 | #167 |
| 1951 | 5,629 | #72 | 1,669 | #155 |
| 1950 | 5,020 | #76 | 1,623 | #154 |
| 1949 | 4,880 | #74 | 1,580 | #159 |
| 1948 | 4,609 | #80 | 1,572 | #157 |
| 1947 | 4,994 | #75 | 1,781 | #151 |
| 1946 | 3,884 | #94 | 1,530 | #154 |
| 1945 | 2,730 | #102 | 1,218 | #156 |
| 1944 | 2,260 | #116 | 1,290 | #153 |
| 1943 | 2,065 | #134 | 1,442 | #147 |
| 1942 | 1,749 | #149 | 1,394 | #146 |
| 1941 | 1,259 | #171 | 1,351 | #141 |
| 1940 | 957 | #193 | 1,045 | #160 |
| 1939 | 871 | #202 | 885 | #167 |
| 1938 | 722 | #232 | 810 | #181 |
| 1937 | 498 | #278 | 703 | #186 |
| 1936 | 384 | #308 | 614 | #199 |
| 1935 | 339 | #348 | 555 | #215 |
| 1934 | 305 | #363 | 564 | #216 |
| 1933 | 289 | #378 | 527 | #218 |
| 1932 | 244 | #422 | 496 | #239 |
| 1931 | 178 | #482 | 425 | #263 |
| 1930 | 157 | #542 | 458 | #262 |
| 1929 | 112 | #660 | 415 | #273 |
| 1928 | 115 | #654 | 468 | #264 |
| 1927 | 128 | #631 | 447 | #269 |
| 1926 | 92 | #753 | 370 | #295 |
| 1925 | 100 | #738 | 435 | #273 |
| 1924 | 80 | #842 | 409 | #282 |
| 1923 | 71 | #875 | 391 | #285 |
| 1922 | 77 | #839 | 383 | #287 |
| 1921 | 59 | #967 | 366 | #295 |
| 1920 | 62 | #927 | 412 | #274 |
| 1919 | 64 | #880 | 345 | #290 |
| 1918 | 69 | #865 | 362 | #282 |
| 1917 | 58 | #909 | 345 | #276 |
| 1916 | 56 | #910 | 320 | #287 |
| 1915 | 44 | #1,006 | 305 | #284 |
| 1914 | 45 | #872 | 232 | #295 |
| 1913 | 32 | #957 | 192 | #287 |
| 1912 | 28 | #968 | 156 | #287 |
| 1911 | 25 | #864 | 66 | #336 |
| 1910 | 23 | #907 | 63 | #313 |
| 1909 | 18 | #984 | 67 | #276 |
| 1908 | 18 | #956 | 50 | #313 |
| 1907 | 14 | #1,071 | 48 | #307 |
| 1906 | 14 | #1,025 | 40 | #327 |
| 1905 | 14 | #1,046 | 28 | #407 |
| 1904 | 11 | #1,148 | 40 | #318 |
| 1903 | 9 | #1,270 | 34 | #325 |
| 1902 | 9 | #1,280 | 39 | #310 |
| 1901 | 6 | #1,586 | 27 | #356 |
| 1900 | 8 | #1,515 | 41 | #341 |
| 1899 | 9 | #1,152 | 31 | #320 |
| 1898 | 8 | #1,333 | 44 | #270 |
| 1897 | 7 | #1,336 | 27 | #364 |
| 1896 | 6 | #1,508 | 37 | #308 |
| 1895 | under 5 | 46 | #264 | |
| 1894 | under 5 | 28 | #346 | |
| 1893 | 11 | #940 | 35 | #295 |
| 1892 | under 5 | 39 | #295 | |
| 1891 | 5 | #1,448 | 34 | #279 |
| 1890 | under 5 | 27 | #339 | |
| 1889 | under 5 | 44 | #246 | |
| 1888 | under 5 | 17 | #475 | |
| 1887 | under 5 | 23 | #348 | |
| 1886 | 5 | #1,210 | 25 | #344 |
| 1885 | 5 | #1,141 | 25 | #352 |
| 1884 | under 5 | 27 | #343 | |
| 1883 | under 5 | 33 | #288 | |
| 1882 | under 5 | 27 | #341 | |
| 1881 | under 5 | 21 | #373 | |
| 1880 | 5 | #897 | 30 | #309 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Lynn a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 234,778 Americans recorded as Lynn, 78% are girls and 22% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Lynn: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Lynn, and how old are they?
169,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 72% of the 234,778 Americans ever recorded as Lynn. The median Lynn alive today is 67 years old; half are between 59 and 73.
The 2020 Census counted 193,296 people named Lynn (164,406 women and girls, 28,890 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 185,154 born in the U.S. The Census count is 4% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 10,500 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 106,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 40,400 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 8,750 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 2,580 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,200 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Lynn born?
The states with the most babies named Lynn are New York, California and Pennsylvania, with 26% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 24,502 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| California | 17,578 | #2,407 | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 15,580 | #1,328 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 15,561 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Michigan | 13,472 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Ohio | 12,369 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Wisconsin | 10,676 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| New Jersey | 8,800 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Minnesota | 8,236 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Texas | 7,533 | #3,609 | 0.5× |
Where Lynn is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Lynn is most over-represented in Wisconsin: since 1910 it was given 1.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Lynn with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 310,922 babies since 1880, Lynn is the most given (76% of them). In 2025 it was given to 84 of their 122 babies (69%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Lynn
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Lynn and names like it
- Compare Lynn and LynneBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sLynn peaked in 1956.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Lynn since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Lynn: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1956The year the most babies were named Lynn.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Lynn alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with LMost given first.