boys' name ★ peaked 2017

Lincoln

Meaning the Roman settlement Lindum Colonia Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #69 Trend ↓ Falling 33%

Inherited from Middle English Lincolne, from Old English Lincolle, Lindcolen, Lindcylene, from Latin Lindum Colōnia (“the Roman settlement Lindum Colonia”), from…

Rank 2025
#69
among boys · ↑4 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
4,778
named Lincoln · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 363
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2017
8,443 babies
All-time total
106,968
#304 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Lincoln popularity over time

106,968 babies have been named Lincoln since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 94 94 9 – #513
1890s – 141 141 14 +50% #375
1900s – 176 176 18 +25% #443
1910s – 905 905 91 +414% #459
1920s – 1,302 1,302 130 +44% #494
1930s – 852 852 85 -35% #561
1940s – 845 845 85 -1% #644
1950s – 818 818 82 -3% #723
1960s – 1,260 1,260 126 +54% #557
1970s – 1,318 1,318 132 +5% #618
1980s 16 1,158 1,174 117 -11% #734
1990s 52 1,693 1,745 175 +49% #748
2000s 110 8,804 8,914 891 +411% #189
2010s 1,174 52,017 53,191 5,319 +497% #41
2020s (to 2025) 698 33,535 34,233 5,706 +7% #40

Where Lincoln is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 4,414 2.58 #75
2027 4,183 2.45 #79
2028 3,996 2.34 #81
2029 3,843 2.25 #88
2030 3,718 2.18 #94

Where Lincoln is most popular

Boys named Lincoln per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 3.07 per 1,000. Strongest in Wyoming, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Lincoln born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Wyoming 75 13.0 +323%
New Hampshire 224 10.1 +229%
Vermont 62 9.87 +222%
Maine 181 9.33 +204%
West Virginia 291 8.91 +191%
South Dakota 156 8.38 +174%
North Dakota 138 8.08 +164%
Ohio 1,864 7.03 +129%
Kentucky 682 6.80 +122%
Indiana 1,080 6.74 +120%
Idaho 272 6.65 +117%
Montana 116 6.58 +115%
Wisconsin 728 6.15 +100%
Iowa 405 5.87 +92%
Michigan 1,200 5.86 +91%
Missouri 802 5.79 +89%
Utah 548 5.74 +87%
Minnesota 700 5.71 +86%
Alaska 65 5.46 +78%
Kansas 374 5.45 +78%
Rhode Island 85 5.21 +70%
Oklahoma 440 4.97 +62%
Nebraska 213 4.90 +60%
Pennsylvania 1,246 4.69 +53%
Delaware 71 4.68 +53%
Tennessee 799 4.43 +44%
Arkansas 276 4.36 +42%
Oregon 326 4.29 +40%
Washington 630 3.85 +26%
Colorado 487 3.77 +23%
Illinois 933 3.65 +19%
Virginia 665 3.50 +14%
Massachusetts 479 3.48 +14%
Hawaii 54 3.48 +13%
North Carolina 878 3.44 +12%
Arizona 549 3.36 +9%
South Carolina 342 3.31 +8%
New Mexico 105 3.19 ≈ national
Alabama 336 3.07 ≈ national
Louisiana 313 3.06 ≈ national
Connecticut 195 2.88 -6%
Mississippi 160 2.82 -8%
Maryland 332 2.78 -9%
Georgia 696 2.75 -10%
Nevada 151 2.65 -14%
Florida 1,169 2.47 -19%
District of Columbia 34 2.30 -25%
Texas 1,985 2.25 -27%
New York 896 2.07 -32%
New Jersey 344 1.71 -44%
California 1,322 1.45 -53%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Lincoln

Lincoln is a top-100 name for boys in the United States, ranked #69 in 2025 with 4,703 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 106,968 American babies have been named Lincoln. Its peak came in 2017, when 8,443 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Lincoln stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lincoln?

The median living Lincoln is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 12. An estimated 102 thousand people named Lincoln are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Lincoln year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 75 #2,396 4,703 #69
2024 77 #2,377 4,580 #73
2023 89 #2,152 4,866 #64
2022 126 #1,672 5,625 #54
2021 148 #1,455 6,700 #45
2020 183 #1,243 7,061 #40
2019 185 #1,256 7,473 #41
2018 165 #1,368 7,408 #41
2017 241 #1,066 8,202 #41
2016 164 #1,416 7,129 #51
2015 158 #1,459 6,001 #66
2014 127 #1,668 4,824 #87
2013 61 #2,826 4,039 #95
2012 34 #4,346 2,912 #132
2011 24 #5,651 2,158 #179
2010 15 #8,129 1,871 #199
2009 21 #6,456 2,012 #189
2008 22 #6,271 1,818 #211
2007 13 #9,326 1,655 #224
2006 9 #12,012 1,109 #301
2005 10 #10,608 502 #495
2004 10 #10,372 413 #555
2003 6 #14,970 410 #549
2002 5 #17,030 329 #610
2001 7 #12,872 309 #616
2000 7 #12,579 247 #711
1995 9 #9,210 191 #777
1990 5 #14,255 143 #856
1985 5 #11,685 117 #828
1980 – – 95 #916
1975 – – 147 #679
1970 – – 146 #687
1965 – – 128 #656
1960 – – 85 #829
1955 – – 85 #796
1950 – – 87 #739
1945 – – 89 #644
1940 – – 70 #733
1935 – – 76 #696
1930 – – 86 #674
1925 – – 142 #512
1920 – – 137 #523
1915 – – 118 #513
1910 – – 36 #459
1905 – – 19 #539
1900 – – 20 #545
1895 – – 26 #375
1890 – – 13 #553
1885 – – 11 #589
1880 – – 10 #620

Famous people named Lincoln

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Lincoln Chafee Lincoln Chafee American politician (born 1953) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lincoln Ellsworth Lincoln Ellsworth Early 20th-century American explorer of Antarctica 1880–1951 · 19th century
  3. 3 Lincoln Topics referred to by the same term b. 1979 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Lincoln, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Lincoln?

The median living Lincoln is about 8 years old. Half of all living Lincolns are between 4 and 12 years old.

How many people named Lincoln are alive today?

An estimated 102 thousand people named Lincoln are alive in the United States, based on 106,968 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lincoln mean?

Inherited from Middle English Lincolne, from Old English Lincolle, Lindcolen, Lindcylene, from Latin Lindum Colōnia (“the Roman settlement Lindum Colonia”), from Proto-Brythonic *llɨnn (“pool”), from Proto-Celtic *lindos (“lake,…

How popular is the name Lincoln in 2025?

Lincoln ranked #69 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 4,703 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lincoln?

106,968 babies have been named Lincoln in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lincoln most popular?

Lincoln peaked in 2017, when 8,443 newborns received the name.

Is Lincoln a boy or girl name?

Lincoln is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lincoln rising or falling?

Lincoln has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Lincoln become more popular?

Lincoln is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 3,718 boys named Lincoln in 2030, which would rank around #94. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lincoln?

Well-known people named Lincoln include Lincoln Chafee (politician), Lincoln Ellsworth (explorer), Lincoln (soccer player).

Names like Lincoln

Names that sound and feel close to Lincoln: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Lincoln with similar names → More names starting with L →