Meaning and origin
Lincoln means “lake colony,” coming through an English surname from the city of Lincoln. The Romans called the place Lindum Colonia. Its name combines the Celtic root lindos, meaning “lake,” with Latin colonia, meaning “colony.”
That mixture of languages gives Lincoln an older history than its familiar American association might suggest. A British place name became a surname, and the surname later became a given name. The meaning belongs to the English city, while much of the first name’s later recognition comes from an American president.
A presidential connection
Lincoln is often chosen in honor of Abraham Lincoln, who lived from 1809 to 1865 and served as the sixteenth president of the United States. His presidency, from 1861 to 1865, coincided with the American Civil War.
On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in designated areas in rebellion free. The proclamation helped transform the Union war effort into a fight for freedom as well as national unity. It also announced the acceptance of Black men into the Union Army and Navy.
The proclamation’s scope followed its role as a wartime measure: it applied to specified rebellious areas and depended on Union military advances to make freedom effective. Its historical importance lies in that change in the war’s purpose and its place on the road toward slavery’s abolition.
Lincoln’s words
Another lasting association is the Gettysburg Address, delivered on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a national cemetery in Pennsylvania. Lincoln honored those who had died in the battle and asked the living to continue the work of preserving the nation and its founding commitment to equality.
The speech connects the name with an especially recognizable moment in American public language. Together with the Emancipation Proclamation, it gives Lincoln a connection with political history that extends well beyond a surname used by one family.
Pronunciation and familiar forms
Lincoln is pronounced LING-kun, with two syllables and the stress at the beginning. The second l is silent in the usual English pronunciation. Link is an established familiar form, reflecting the opening sound rather than the full written spelling.
The name keeps its surname shape when used as a first name. Its two syllables and consonant ending give it a different rhythm from the longer Abraham, the president’s own given name.
Popularity in the United States
Lincoln’s largest annual count for American boys was 8,202 in 2017. Its best rank came in 2020, at number 40. It ranked number 66 in 2015 and number 69 in 2025.
The spelling also appears for girls. Its strongest year was 2017, with 241 births and a rank of number 1,066. It ranked number 2,396 for girls in 2025.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Meaning and history draw on the references below. American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling; counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.
How popular is Lincoln?
In 2025, Lincoln ranked #69 among boys in the United States, with 4,703 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1880; its largest annual count was 8,202 in 2017. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.