2000
#5,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,935
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.20
Rare Last name
Linden
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a linden tree or in a place abundant with lindens.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,683 Americans carry the last name Linden. That puts it at #5,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,287 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linden 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 Linden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,287
Census rank
#5,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,828 bearers of the surname Linden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linden, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Linden
The surname Linden originates from Germany and the Low Countries. It first appeared in the late medieval period, deriving from the German word 'linden', meaning 'lime tree'. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a lime tree or grove of lime trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Linden surname dates back to the 13th century, when a Heinrich von der Linden was mentioned in a document from the town of Marburg in Germany. The 'von der' prefix indicated the family's nobility and land ownership.
In the Netherlands, the Linden name was also prominently found, often spelled as 'Linden' or 'van der Linden'. A Johannes van der Linden was recorded in Utrecht in 1389. The Dutch 'van der' prefix had a similar meaning to the German 'von der', denoting the family's connection to a place called Linden.
The Linden surname can be traced back to various place names across Germany and the Low Countries that incorporated the word 'Linden'. Examples include Linden in Hesse, Germany, and Linden near Antwerp, Belgium. These locations likely took their names from the prevalence of lime trees in the area.
Notable individuals with the Linden surname include the Dutch Golden Age painter Pieter van der Linden (1609-1678), known for his genre paintings and portraits. Another was the German-American brewer Adolph Linden (1839-1917), who co-founded the Linden Brewing Company in Chicago.
Other historical figures bearing the Linden name include the German painter and engraver Johann Baptist Linden (1785-1846), the Dutch botanist Jean Jules Linden (1817-1898), who made significant contributions to the study of orchids, and the German mathematician Johann Georg Linden (1676-1723), who is credited with introducing the symbol for infinity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linden
Among Census respondents with the surname Linden, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Linden 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 Linden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 5,045
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 236
- Two or more races3.9% · 229
- Black or African American3.7% · 215
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linden
Linden 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
#5,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,276
+341 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Down 134 places
2020
#5,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,828
-448 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 190 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,400 | 5,935 | 2.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,534 | 6,276 | 2.13 | +341 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 134 places |
| 2020 | #5,724 | 5,828 | 1.95 | -448 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 190 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 Linden 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 | #5,534 | #5,724 | -3.4% |
| Count | 6,276 | 5,828 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.13 | 1.95 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linden bearers went from 6,276 to 5,828 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 190 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,534 to #5,724.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Linden
FAQ
Linden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linden?
Name Census estimates that about 6,683 living Americans carry the surname Linden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,287 residents.
How common is Linden?
Linden ranks #5,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,828 people with the surname Linden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,683), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Linden.
Has Linden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linden went from 6,276 recorded bearers to 5,828. That is a decrease of 448 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,534 to #5,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Linden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linden, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Linden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (5,045 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Linden (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 Linden mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a linden tree or in a place abundant with lindens. 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 Linden (1.95 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 share the surname Linden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.