Given name & surname
Lindsey
Lindsey is a variant of Lindsay. One English interpretation is “from the island of linden trees; from Lincoln's wetland.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Lindsey is a variant of Lindsay. One English interpretation is “from the island of linden trees; from Lincoln's wetland.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Lindsey is a variant of Lindsay. An origin associated with Lindsay is Scottish.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Old English Lindesege, from Proto-Brythonic *llɨnn (“pool”), from Proto-Celtic *lindos (“lake, liquid”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lindsey through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 165,286
- 7,735 boys · 157,551 girls
- Most popular year
- 1984
- 9,119 babies
- 2025
- 161
- #1,369 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −42%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 2% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 161 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,369 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 41.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9,005 in 1984. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (27). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 147,985 as a first name in 2020; 60,657 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lindsey’s family of names
Lindsey has a related form in Lindsay. In English usage, Lindsey has a related form in Lyndsey. In English usage, Lindsey has a related form in Lyndsay.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Lindsey
- Lindsey VonnAmerican alpine skier (born 1984)
- Lindsey GrahamAmerican politician and attorney (1955–2026)
- Lindsey StirlingAmerican violinist, musician, dancer, performance artist, singer and composerborn 1986
- Lindsey MorganAmerican actressborn 1990
- Lindsey BuckinghamAmerican musicianborn 1949
- Lindsey HeapsAmerican soccer playerborn 1994
- Lindsey JacobellisAmerican snowboarderborn 1985
- Lindsey ShawAmerican actressborn 1989
- Lindsey HunterAmerican basketball player and coachborn 1970
Characters named Lindsey: Lindsey McDonald (the TV series Angel).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Lindsey, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Lacey
“woman from Normandy; as delicate as lace” · “man from Normandy; as delicate as lace”
>99% girls
Lindy
“one who is soft and beauti-” · “from the linden tree hill”
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Lyndi
“one who is soft and beauti-”
>99% girls
Whitney
“from the white island”
4% boys · 96% girls
Lacy
“woman from Normandy; as delicate as lace” · “man from Normandy; as delicate as lace”
2% boys · 98% girls
Britney
“a woman from Great Britain”
>99% girls
Halley
“from the hall near the meadow”
>99% girls
Lani
“from the sky; one who is heavenly” · “a servant”
1% boys · 99% girls