The first name Lindsay
A girl’s name meaning “isle of lind”, “lind”, “isle”.
Pronounced /ˈlɪnzi/ 2 syllables Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Lindsay means “isle of lind”, “lind”, “isle”.
From Lindsey in Lincolnshire, from Old English Lindesēġe, Lindesīġe (“Isle of Lind”), the Old English name of the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, in which "Lind" comes from the Common Brittonic form of the name of Lincoln and "isle" refers to Lincoln being surrounded by fenland; from Proto-Brythonic *llɨnn (“pool”), from Proto-Celtic *lindos (“lake, liquid”), in reference to the Brayford + Old English ēġ (“island”); cf. modern Welsh llyn and Dublin.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Lindsay last appeared in the official list in 2018, given to 6 girls. It peaked in 1996, with 52 births (#506).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Lindsay with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Lindsay at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 84 girls born in the United States were named Lindsay, the 2,208th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1983, when 8,622 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Lindsay
45 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Lindsay LohanAmerican actress and singer (born 1986)
- Lindsay DavenportAmerican tennis player, born 1976
- Lindsay WagnerAmerican actress, born 1949
- Lindsay AndersonBritish feature-film, theatre and documentary director and film critic (1923-1994)
- Lindsay PriceAmerican actress and singer, born 1976
- Lindsay CrouseActress, born 1948
- Lindsay WhalenAmerican Hall of Fame basketball player and coach, born 1982
- Lindsay KempBritish mime (1938-2018)
- Lindsay SloaneAmerican actress, born 1977
- Lindsay EllingsonAmerican model, born 1984
- Lindsay RoseFrench and Mauritian association football player, born 1992
- Lindsay TarpleyAmerican soccer player, born 1983
Questions
- What does the name Lindsay mean?
- Lindsay means “isle of lind”, “lind”, “isle”.
- How popular is the name Lindsay?
- In 2018, 6 girls born in England and Wales were named Lindsay, ranking 3,518th. Its peak was 1996, with 52 births.
- Is Lindsay a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 96% of the 135,501 US babies named Lindsay since 1880 were girls.
- When was Lindsay most popular?
- 1983 in the United States, when 8,622 babies were named Lindsay, its highest rank at 36th.
- How do you pronounce Lindsay?
- Lindsay is /ˈlɪnzi/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Lindsay?
- Lindsey and Lyndsey.
- Is Lindsay also a surname?
- Yes. Lindsay is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.