How common is the surname Lin?

79,508 people in the United States had the surname Lin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,883 Americans. It ranked 402nd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Lin?

Maya Lin, American sculptor and architect (born 1959), followed by Lin Sang.

Where is the surname Lin most common?

Wikidata records people named Lin in the United States, the People's Republic of China and Taiwan.

Is the surname Lin getting more or less common?

More common. 49,360 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 79,508 in 2010, up 61%.

What are other spellings of Lin?

Lim, Lam, Lem, Ling, Lang and Leng.

Is Lin also a first name?

Yes. Lin is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Lin

A surname, carried by 79,508 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈlɪn/ 1 syllable Soundex L500 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Lin is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

From Chinese: compare Mandarin 林 (lín), Gan 林 (lin⁴), Wu 林, Xiang 林 (lin²). 林 itself is composed of a reduplication of 木 (“wood, tree”). Literally, “forest”.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 79,508 people named Lin in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 3,883 Americans. That is up 61% since 2000, when the Census counted 49,360.

#402

rank among US surnames

79,508

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+61.1%

change since 2000 (was #624)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#393	Salinas	81,156	3,804
#394	Fuentes	81,006	3,811
#395	Baldwin	80,742	3,824
#396	Daniel	80,526	3,834
#397	Simon	80,460	3,837
#398	Velasquez	80,364	3,842
#399	Hardy	80,252	3,847

Who is named Lin

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

96% of people named Lin identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 1.8% as two or more races and 1.7% as white (not Hispanic).

Asian and Pacific Islander 96%
Two or more races 1.8%
White (not Hispanic) 1.7%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.5%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.0%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Lins

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Maya Lin
American sculptor and architect (born 1959)
Lin Sang
Archer, born 1977
Lin Shih-Chia
Archer, born 1993
Tao Lin
American novelist (1983-)
Lin Peng
Actress, born 1986
Grace Lin
Author and illustrator, born 1974

Notable Lins come mostly from the United States (3), the People's Republic of China (2) and Taiwan (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like Lin

Lin has the Soundex code L500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code L500.

Questions

Where does the surname Lin come from?: From Chinese: compare Mandarin 林 (lín), Gan 林 (lin⁴), Wu 林, Xiang 林 (lin²). 林 itself is composed of a reduplication of 木 (“wood, tree”). Literally, “forest”.
How common is the surname Lin?: 79,508 people in the United States had the surname Lin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,883 Americans. It ranked 402nd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Lin?: In the 2010 Census, 96% of people named Lin identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 1.8% as two or more races.
Who is the most famous person named Lin?: Maya Lin, American sculptor and architect (born 1959), followed by Lin Sang.
Where is the surname Lin most common?: Wikidata records people named Lin in the United States, the People's Republic of China and Taiwan.
How do you pronounce Lin?: Lin is /ˈlɪn/, one syllable.
Is the surname Lin getting more or less common?: More common. 49,360 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 79,508 in 2010, up 61%.
What are other spellings of Lin?: Lim, Lam, Lem, Ling, Lang and Leng.
Is Lin also a first name?: Yes. Lin is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.