2000
#2,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,070
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.96
Uncommon Last name
Lincoln
An English habitational surname derived from places named Lincoln, meaning "settlement by the pool" from Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,247 Americans carry the last name Lincoln. That puts it at #2,230 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,784 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lincoln surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lincoln with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,784
Census rank
#2,230
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,912 bearers of the surname Lincoln in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2230th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lincoln, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lincoln
The surname Lincoln originates from England, tracing its roots back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon era, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. It is derived from the Old English words "linca" and "coll," meaning "links" or "heather" and "hill" respectively. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a heather-covered hill or ridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lincoln appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey commissioned by William the Conqueror. This document mentions several individuals with variations of the name, such as Lincolne, Lincholne, and Lincholn, indicating its presence in various regions of England during the late 11th century.
The surname Lincoln has a strong connection to the historic city of Lincoln, located in Lincolnshire, England. This city was an important settlement during the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods, and its name is believed to be derived from the Old English "Lindon Colonia," meaning "Colony on the Hill." It is possible that some early bearers of the Lincoln surname may have originated from or had ties to this area.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Lincoln surname was Robert de Lincoln, a prominent English knight and landowner who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Another notable figure was John Lincoln, a 14th-century English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Ely from 1367 to 1370.
In the 15th century, the surname Lincoln gained further prominence with Abraham Lincoln, a renowned English scholar and theologian who lived from 1408 to 1491. He was known for his writings on religious subjects and his involvement in the early humanist movement.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the Lincoln surname is Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, who lived from 1809 to 1865. Born in Kentucky to a family of English descent, he went on to lead the nation during the Civil War and is remembered for his pivotal role in abolishing slavery and preserving the Union.
Other notable individuals with the Lincoln surname include Benjamin Lincoln, an American revolutionary war general (1733-1810), Levi Lincoln Sr., an American statesman and lawyer (1749-1820), and Robert Todd Lincoln, the eldest son of Abraham Lincoln and a prominent businessman and lawyer (1843-1926).
In summary, the surname Lincoln has a rich history spanning centuries, originating from the Anglo-Saxon era in England and carrying connections to various regions, historical figures, and notable events throughout its evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lincoln
Among Census respondents with the surname Lincoln, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lincoln bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lincoln surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 11,430
- Black or African American13.4% · 2,133
- Two or more races5.3% · 838
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 647
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 577
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 287
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lincoln
Lincoln appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,477
+407 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 5.59
Rank movement Down 141 places
2020
#2,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,912
-565 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 5.32
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,068 | 16,070 | 5.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,209 | 16,477 | 5.59 | +407 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 141 places |
| 2020 | #2,230 | 15,912 | 5.32 | -565 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 21 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lincoln surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,209 | #2,230 | -1.0% |
| Count | 16,477 | 15,912 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.59 | 5.32 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lincoln bearers went from 16,477 to 15,912 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,209 to #2,230.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lincoln
FAQ
Lincoln surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lincoln?
Name Census estimates that about 18,247 living Americans carry the surname Lincoln. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,784 residents.
How common is Lincoln?
Lincoln ranks #2,230 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,912 people with the surname Lincoln. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,247), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Lincoln.
Has Lincoln become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lincoln went from 16,477 recorded bearers to 15,912. That is a decrease of 565 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,209 to #2,230.
What does the Census say about the background of Lincoln?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lincoln, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lincoln in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (11,430 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lincoln appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.8%), Black (13.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lincoln (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lincoln mean?
An English habitational surname derived from places named Lincoln, meaning "settlement by the pool" from Old English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lincoln (5.32 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Lincoln?
See how many people have the surname Lincoln on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.