Lincoln is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Lincoln means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Lincoln across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Lincoln has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Lincoln is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “lake colony”. originally an English city name and surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 106,968 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 5,449 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 163 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 86 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 109 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 1,396 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Lincoln per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2017 (8,443/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2017 (593/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2017 (21/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2017 (14/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2017 (10/yr).
Lincoln has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 2017, when it ranked #53 nationally (given to 9,081 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2010s.
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