LINCOLN
Lincoln is a surname of English origin, deriving from the name of the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The name is toponymic, indicating that an ancestor hailed from that city and was consequently referred to as of Lincoln or simply Lincoln.
The etymology of the city’s name itself is rooted in the Celtic word lindo, meaning “lake” or “pool”, and the Latin word colonia, meaning “colony” or “settlement”. Together, the combined form Lindum Colonia originally denoted a settlement situated near a lake, a description that has been carried forward into the surname Lincoln.
The surname appears earliest in the Domesday Book of 1086, recorded as Aluredus de Lincolia. This entry provides the first evidence that the name had become established as a hereditary surname by the late eleventh century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
Historical documents from the early medieval period also reference the name in various forms. In the work of the Reverend Bede, titled Historia Ecclesiastica, the settlement is referred to as Lindocolina around the year 730. The second element, "colina", is again the Latin root for “colony”, reinforcing the sense of a colonic settlement by a body of water.
By the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, records such as the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire (1379) and the Oxford University Register (1537) document individuals bearing the name, including Adam de Lincoln and William Lincoln. These instances illustrate the continued use of the surname throughout England during the medieval period.
In modern times the surname continues to be found chiefly within the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as in other English‑speaking countries such as Canada and Australia. Although it is not among the most common surnames globally, it retains particular prominence in regions where English heritage is significant.
Among the most celebrated bearers of the name is the six‑teenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). His prominence has contributed greatly to the recognisability of the surname worldwide, especially in the United States. Earlier notable figures include Adam de Lincoln and other medieval individuals whose surnames appear in parish and civic records.
Variants of the surname have arisen over time, reflecting differences in spelling and pronunciation. These include Lincorne, Lyncolne, Lincolne, Lyncoln, Linkhorn, Linkern and Linkun, among others. The evolution of these forms demonstrates the phonetic flexibility typical of Old English surnames.
Typical given names associated with the Lincoln surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Catherine
- Deborah
- Eileen
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Lincoln in...
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There are approximately 4,862 people named Lincoln in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,942nd most common surname in Britain. Around 75 in a million people in Britain are named Lincoln.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Lincoln
- Abraham Lincoln - 16th President of the United States (1809 to 1865)
- Robert Todd Lincoln - Union Army officer (1843 to 1926)
- Mary Todd Lincoln - Wife of Abraham Lincoln and First Lady of the United States (1818 to 1882)
- Samuel Lincoln - Ancestor of Abraham Lincoln (1622 to 1690)
- Ignaz Trebitsch-Lincoln - Politician (1879 to 1943)
- Greg Lincoln - Football player and manager
- Frances Lincoln - Publisher (1945 to 2001)
- James Lincoln - Cricketer
- Dan Lincoln - Cricketer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.