Given name & surname
Linus
“linen man”
Linus is a masculine given name. It is used in English, German, Swedish, and Latin.
Original GreekΛίνος
Meaning & origin
What it means
As a biblical name, Linus means “linen man.”
From biblical name research
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Greek, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
In English usage, Linus developed from Λῖνος.
The story
In mythological stories, Linus is associated with the musician son of Apollo.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Linus appears in 2 Timothy 4:21.
From biblical name research
Linus through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,342
- 5,342 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 166 babies
- 2025
- 82
- #1,913 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −17%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 82 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,913 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 17.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 166 in 2017. In 2025, Wisconsin had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,674 as a first name in 2020; 149 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.
Linus’s family of names
In English usage, Linus has a feminine form in Lina. In English usage, Linus has a conventional equivalent in the Esperanto form Lino. Linus has a related form in Lino.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Linus has relatives in 15 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Linus comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 7
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 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΛίνοςGreek
- Λῖνοςroot · Ancient Greek
- Linafeminine form · English
- LinasLimburgish
- LinuszHungarian
- ЛінUkrainian
- ЛинRussian
- לינוסHebrew
Show 2 moreShow fewer
People named Linus
- Linus TorvaldsFinnish software engineer (born 1969)
- Linus PaulingAmerican scientist (1901–1994)
- Pope Linus2nd Pope of the Catholic Church10–79
- Linus RoacheEnglish actorborn 1964
- Linus Gerdemannroad bicycle racerborn 1982
- Linus SebastianCanadian YouTuberborn 1986
- Linus WahlqvistSwedish association football playerborn 1996
- Linus SandgrenSwedish cinematographerborn 1972
- Linus OmarkSwedish ice hockey playerborn 1987
Characters named Linus: Linus Van Pelt (the Peanuts media franchise).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
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