girl's name
Lynne
LIN
- Origin Welsh
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 66,683
Scotland
#722
2000 births
Lynne now ranks 2155th in France and 14047th in the United States, so a name that peaked in America at 2,471 births ranks far higher in a country that barely used it. Scotland ran its own peak much later, in 1978.
- Lynne is a name of Welsh origin.
- Peaked in 1960, when 2,471 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 552,792 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1907.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lynne over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 26 |
| 1910s | 196 |
| 1920s | 326 |
| 1930s | 2,603 |
| 1940s | 14,397 |
| 1950s | 22,291 |
| 1960s | 16,992 |
| 1970s | 3,341 |
| 1980s | 1,388 |
| 1990s | 463 |
| 2000s | 219 |
| 2010s | 123 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 50 |
What Lynne means
Lynne means a lake or pool if taken from Welsh, or serves as a short form of Linda and Evelyn. The two routes are unrelated and both are in use.
Where Lynne comes from
Lynne has two sources. The Welsh llyn means a lake or pool, and it lies behind the Lynn in place names and in King's Lynn. Separately, Lynn served as a short form of Linda, Evelyn and Carolyn, and by the mid twentieth century the ending -lyn was productive on its own, generating Jaclyn, Ashlyn and Katelyn. The doubled -nne spelling is a mid-century preference.
Lynne in use
Lynne peaked in the United States in 1960, when 2,471 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 2155th in France on 15 births and 14047th in the United States on 6, across 66,683 lifetime births in two of the seven markets we track. Scotland ran a much later local peak of 332 births in 1978.
How popular is Lynne?
In 2025, Lynne was given to 6 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Lynne 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 Lynne
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lynne also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lynne over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Lynne 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.
- Chinese
- Lin
Sibling names for Lynne
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lynne — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lynne
What does the name Lynne mean?
A lake, from the Welsh llyn — or a short form of Linda and Evelyn.
Is King's Lynn related?
Yes — the place name carries the same Welsh word for a pool.
Where does the -lyn ending come from?
It became productive on its own, giving Jaclyn, Ashlyn and Katelyn.
How popular is Lynne?
2155th in France and 14047th in the United States.
Is Lynne a girl's or a boy's name?
Lynne is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lynne?
Lynne has 1 syllable.
Is Lynne a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lynne currently ranks #2,155 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.