Lincoln
Meaning
settlement by the pool
Goes by Linc, Link
The story
Lincoln began as an English place name. The city name combines the Celtic Lindon, probably lake or pool, with the Latin colonia, colony, reflecting the Roman settlement established there. The surname then became inseparable in America from Abraham Lincoln, the president who led the country through the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation. As a first name, Lincoln remained rare for most of US history despite that association. The curve barely moves before the 2000s, rises sharply in the 2010s, and reaches its strongest level in the 2020s. Many modern uses likely honor the president or the surname style, but the records cannot assign a motive to each family. Lincoln is a place, a family name, and a civic memory at once, with Link offering an unexpectedly playful short form inside the serious exterior.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Lincoln peaked in the 2020s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
6,547 people · the #2,272 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 31,250 · median age 30
Among people named Lincoln living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 311 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Lincoln
Most people given the name Lincoln in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Lincoln deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Lincoln truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Lincoln fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Names like Lincoln · Nicknames for Lincoln · Middle names for Lincoln
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