Lynn
From an English surname and place name rooted in a Celtic word for lake or pool, related to Welsh llyn. It also functions as a short form of Linda and Lynette.
Lynn in 2025
Lynn was given to 84 babies in the United States in 2025 — 15 boys and 69 girls, making it the 3,996th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 39,468 babies born.
The history of Lynn
Lynn reached its highest point in 1956, when 8,989 babies were given the name, ranking 88th that year.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 234,778 babies have been named Lynn. Half of them were born before 1956, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Lynn has switched sex over its history: it went mostly to boys in its early decades, and goes mostly to girls today.
Lynn by decade
| Decade | Babies named Lynn | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 287 | 539 |
| 1890s | 394 | 651 |
| 1900s | 535 | 637 |
| 1910s | 2,830 | 562 |
| 1920s | 4,992 | 496 |
| 1930s | 10,024 | 254 |
| 1940s | 43,590 | 102 |
| 1950s | 79,823 | 88 |
| 1960s | 58,304 | 114 |
| 1970s | 19,932 | 197 |
| 1980s | 7,898 | 432 |
| 1990s | 2,975 | 964 |
| 2000s | 1,598 | 1,721 |
| 2010s | 1,122 | 2,776 |
| 2020s | 474 | 3,698 |
Where Lynn is heading
Lynn has fallen 16% over the past decade, from 100 babies in 2015 to 84 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1956 peak — Lynn is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Lynn
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Lynn.