girls' name ★ peaked 1984

Lindsey

Meaning pool Gender Girl · 5% boys Rank 2025 #1,369 Trend ↓ Falling 36%

From Old English Lindesege, ultimately from Proto-Brythonic *llɨnn (“pool”), from Proto-Celtic *lindos (“lake, liquid”) (as in Lincoln) + Old English ēġ (“island (of…

Rank 2025
#1,369
among girls · ↓80 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
161
named Lindsey · -14% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,983
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1984
9,119 babies
All-time total
165,286
#255 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Lindsey popularity over time

165,286 babies have been named Lindsey 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 – 109 109 11 – –
1890s – 105 105 11 -4% –
1900s – 145 145 15 +38% –
1910s – 493 493 49 +240% –
1920s 5 591 596 60 +21% #5,524
1930s 7 583 590 59 -1% #3,646
1940s 161 758 919 92 +56% #1,347
1950s 602 1,412 2,014 201 +119% #1,157
1960s 520 1,049 1,569 157 -22% #1,336
1970s 7,734 708 8,442 844 +438% #113
1980s 71,940 1,083 73,023 7,302 +765% #35
1990s 48,975 427 49,402 4,940 -32% #51
2000s 21,644 167 21,811 2,181 -56% #103
2010s 4,823 81 4,904 490 -78% #400
2020s (to 2025) 1,140 24 1,164 194 -60% #1,030

Where Lindsey is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 149 0.09 outside top 500
2027 140 0.09 outside top 500
2028 133 0.08 outside top 500
2029 127 0.08 outside top 500
2030 122 0.08 outside top 500

Where Lindsey is most popular

Girls named Lindsey per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.110 per 1,000. Strongest in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Lindsey 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Indiana 34 0.242 +119%
Pennsylvania 39 0.165 +49%
Maryland 17 0.160 +45%
Ohio 37 0.156 +41%
Missouri 17 0.141 +28%
North Carolina 32 0.141 +27%
Texas 111 0.138 +25%
Georgia 30 0.132 +20%
Washington 17 0.118 +7%
Virginia 18 0.106 ≈ national
California 88 0.105 -5%
Florida 44 0.103 -7%
New York 36 0.091 -18%
Tennessee 14 0.088 -20%
Michigan 16 0.088 -20%
Illinois 19 0.083 -25%
Massachusetts 10 0.083 -25%
New Jersey 14 0.078 -30%
Utah 6 0.072 -35%
Kentucky 6 0.070 -36%
South Carolina 6 0.067 -40%
Alabama 6 0.064 -42%
Colorado 5 0.045 -59%
Arizona 6 0.043 -61%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

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 Lindsey

Lindsey is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,369 in 2025 with 161 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 165,286 American babies have been named Lindsey. Its peak came in 1984, when 9,119 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Lindsey stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lindsey?

The median living Lindsey is about 36 years old; half are between 29 and 41. An estimated 159 thousand people named Lindsey are alive in the United States today.

median 36 020406080100

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

Lindsey 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 161 #1,369 – –
2024 180 #1,289 7 #10,505
2023 179 #1,284 – –
2022 181 #1,307 – –
2021 195 #1,217 6 #11,591
2020 244 #1,030 11 #7,307
2019 276 #957 – –
2018 323 #840 11 #7,426
2017 315 #869 6 #11,615
2016 364 #781 13 #6,568
2015 477 #611 11 #7,354
2014 534 #573 5 #13,274
2013 504 #573 10 #7,876
2012 579 #524 10 #7,905
2011 647 #460 6 #11,716
2010 804 #400 9 #8,530
2009 1,010 #327 12 #7,079
2008 1,227 #279 9 #8,733
2007 1,555 #226 9 #8,646
2006 1,886 #186 14 #5,982
2005 2,094 #162 16 #5,187
2004 2,255 #146 30 #3,257
2003 2,540 #132 18 #4,545
2002 2,816 #122 20 #4,135
2001 3,050 #105 22 #3,801
2000 3,211 #103 17 #4,497
1995 4,377 #82 50 #1,768
1990 6,782 #51 70 #1,330
1985 8,468 #37 116 #836
1980 3,386 #91 88 #961
1975 361 #497 47 #1,247
1970 70 #1,457 77 #914
1965 42 #1,757 92 #769
1960 41 #1,778 141 #659
1955 43 #1,565 154 #593
1950 51 #1,289 106 #676
1945 11 #2,850 69 #740
1940 5 #4,738 48 #924
1935 – – 59 #809
1930 – – 73 #747
1925 – – 52 #938
1920 – – 57 #919
1915 – – 57 #808
1910 – – 23 #611
1905 – – 14 #653
1900 – – 19 #571
1895 – – 11 #659
1890 – – 12 #584
1885 – – 7 #809
1880 – – 11 #590

Famous people named Lindsey

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

  1. 1 Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham American politician and attorney (1955–2026) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lindsey Stirling Lindsey Stirling American musician (born 1986) Contemporary
  3. 3 Lindsey Shaw Lindsey Shaw American actress (born 1989) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lindsey Morgan Lindsey Morgan American actress (born 1990) Contemporary
  5. 5 Lindsey Jacobellis Lindsey Jacobellis American snowboarder (born 1985) Contemporary
  6. 6 Lindsey McKeon American actress b. 1982 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Lindsey Hunter Lindsey Hunter American basketball player and coach (born 1970) Contemporary
  8. 8 Lindsey Horan Lindsey Horan American football player (born 1994) Contemporary
  9. 9 Lindsey Van Lindsey Van American former ski jumper (born 1984) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lindsey?

The median living Lindsey is about 36 years old. Half of all living Lindseys are between 29 and 41 years old.

How many people named Lindsey are alive today?

An estimated 159 thousand people named Lindsey are alive in the United States, based on 165,286 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lindsey mean?

From Old English Lindesege, ultimately from Proto-Brythonic *llɨnn (“pool”), from Proto-Celtic *lindos (“lake, liquid”) (as in Lincoln) + Old English ēġ (“island (of land)”).

How popular is the name Lindsey in 2025?

Lindsey ranked #1,369 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 161 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lindsey?

165,286 babies have been named Lindsey in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lindsey most popular?

Lindsey peaked in 1984, when 9,119 newborns received the name.

Is Lindsey a boy or girl name?

Lindsey is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 95% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lindsey rising or falling?

Lindsey is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Lindsey become more popular?

Lindsey is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 122 girls named Lindsey in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lindsey?

Well-known people named Lindsey include Lindsey Graham (politician), Lindsey Stirling (singer), Lindsey Shaw (actor).

Names like Lindsey

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

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