2000
#24,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 939
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Very Rare Last name
Linney
A surname derived from a place name referring to someone from the town of Linney or other locations containing "lin" ("linden tree").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 896 Americans carry the last name Linney. That puts it at #31,714 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 382,538 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linney 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 Linney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
896
1 in 382,538
Census rank
#31,714
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
781
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 781 bearers of the surname Linney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31714th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Linney
The surname Linney has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from the place name Linney, which is a small village located in the county of Shropshire. The name Linney itself is believed to come from the Old English words "lin" meaning flax and "eg" meaning island or dry ground, referring to an area where flax was grown.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Linney can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Linnie". This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, records show variations of the name such as "de Linney" and "de Lynney", indicating that it was used as a locational surname for people hailing from the village of Linney. During this time, the surname was also associated with nearby place names like "Lynney Magna" and "Lynney Parva", which were larger and smaller settlements in the same region.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Linney was Sir John Linney (c.1450-1518), a wealthy merchant and politician from Bristol who served as the city's Mayor in 1503 and 1511. Another early bearer of the name was William Linney (c.1540-1614), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Maidstone in Kent.
In the 17th century, the surname Linney spread beyond its original Shropshire roots, with bearers appearing in various parts of England. One such individual was Captain James Linney (c.1620-1680), a naval officer who served in the Anglo-Dutch Wars and was later appointed as the Governor of the Bahamas.
During the 18th century, the surname Linney continued to be found across England, with individuals like Thomas Linney (1733-1795), a notable architect and surveyor from Yorkshire who designed several public buildings in the region.
As the centuries progressed, the Linney surname also gained a foothold in other parts of the world, particularly in North America, where many English settlers brought the name with them. One such individual was Joseph Linney (1788-1868), a pioneer who settled in Indiana and became a prominent landowner and farmer in the state.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linney
Among Census respondents with the surname Linney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Linney 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 Linney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.6% · 575
- Black or African American14.5% · 113
- Two or more races6.7% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linney
Linney 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
#25,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 975
+36 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 508 places
2020
#31,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 781
-194 bearers (-19.9%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 6,333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,873 | 939 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,381 | 975 | 0.33 | +36 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 508 places |
| 2020 | #31,714 | 781 | 0.26 | -194 bearers (-19.9%) | Down 6,333 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 Linney 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 | #25,381 | #31,714 | -25.0% |
| Count | 975 | 781 | -19.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.26 | -20.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linney bearers went from 975 to 781 (-19.9% change). The surname moved down 6,333 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,381 to #31,714.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Linney
FAQ
Linney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linney?
Name Census estimates that about 896 living Americans carry the surname Linney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 382,538 residents.
How common is Linney?
Linney ranks #31,714 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 781 people with the surname Linney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (896), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Linney.
Has Linney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linney went from 975 recorded bearers to 781. That is a decrease of 194 (-19.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,381 to #31,714.
What does the Census say about the background of Linney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (6.7%). 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 Linney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.6% (575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.6%), Black (14.5%), Two or More Races (6.7%). 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 Linney (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 Linney mean?
A surname derived from a place name referring to someone from the town of Linney or other locations containing "lin" ("linden tree"). 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 Linney (0.26 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 common is the surname Linney?
See how many people have the surname Linney on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.