girl's name
Lindsey
LIN-zee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 171,352
Northern Ireland
#349
1998 births
Lindsey is a girl's name from a district of Lincolnshire, and it originally meant an island — Lindsey was cut off by marsh and river, so the wetland reading and the island reading describe the same place.
- Lindsey is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1984, when 9,119 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 20,592 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Lindsey started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lindsey over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 109 |
| 1890s | 105 |
| 1900s | 145 |
| 1910s | 493 |
| 1920s | 596 |
| 1930s | 590 |
| 1940s | 919 |
| 1950s | 2,014 |
| 1960s | 1,569 |
| 1970s | 8,442 |
| 1980s | 73,023 |
| 1990s | 49,402 |
| 2000s | 21,811 |
| 2010s | 4,904 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,164 |
What Lindsey means
Lindsey means the island of Lincoln, or the wetland by Lincoln. The Old English ey is an island, and the surrounding fen is why the name applies to ground that is not surrounded by open water.
Where Lindsey comes from
Lindsey is one of the three historic divisions of Lincolnshire, from the Old English Lindesig — the ey, an island, of Lindon, the Celtic name of Lincoln built on a word for a pool. Lindsey was an early Anglo-Saxon kingdom, effectively an island because fen, the Humber and the Witham enclosed it. Both readings usually given, island and marsh, come from the same geography. Its use as a girls' name is American and late twentieth-century, and it divides with Lindsay, which is the older Scottish surname spelling.
Lindsey in use
Lindsey peaked in the United States in 1984, when 9,119 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 1371st in the United States on 161 births, 3332nd in France and 7541st in England and Wales, across 171,352 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. About 95 percent of recorded births are female, and England and Wales — where the place is — ranks it lowest of the three.
How popular is Lindsey?
In 2025, Lindsey was given to 161 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Lindsey is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Lindsey
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lindsey also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lindsey over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Lindsey
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Lindsey in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Lindsay
Sibling names for Lindsey
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lindsey — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lindsey
What does the name Lindsey mean?
The island of Lincoln — Old English ey, an island, applied to ground enclosed by fen and river.
Is it Lindsey or Lindsay?
Lindsay is the older Scottish surname spelling; Lindsey follows the Lincolnshire place name.
Why does it mean both island and marsh?
Same geography. Lindsey was effectively an island because fen and river enclosed it.
How popular is Lindsey?
1371st in the United States, down from a 1984 peak of 9,005 births.
Is Lindsey a girl's or a boy's name?
Lindsey is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lindsey?
Lindsey has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Lindsey?
Lindsey is usually shortened to Lin.
Is Lindsey a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lindsey currently ranks #1,371 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.
Was Lindsey originally a boys' or girls' name?
Lindsey was given mostly to boys in the earliest US birth records and is now given almost entirely to girls.