# Lincoln (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/lincoln/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

An English surname from Old English.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Latin |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 16,477 |
| US rank (2010) | 2,209 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 18,738 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.5% (16,070 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɪŋ.kən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

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, liquid”), in reference to the Brayford. In the United States, many of the places established since 1865 are named after Abraham Lincoln.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Lincoln in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 75% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 15% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 3.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Lincoln in the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.

## People named Lincoln

- Andrew Lincoln, British actor (born 1973)
- Abbey Lincoln, American singer (1930–2010)
- Blanche Lincoln, American politician
- Elmo Lincoln, American film actor (1889-1952)
- Abraão Lincoln Martins, Brazilian association football player
- Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps, American educator, botanist, author (1793-1884)
- Lar Park Lincoln, American actress
- Caryl Lincoln, American actress (1903-1983)
- Pamela Lincoln, American actress (1937-2019)
- Howard Lincoln, American lawyer and businessman

## Similar surnames

Lingle, Langley, Langlois, Longley, Longwell, Lengyel, Langlais, Lehmkuhl, Lengel, Lanclos, Langel, Linsley.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.