Name Awesome

Linus

#1,913 in 2025Boys' name

Possibly flax, through Λῖνος

Linus has been given to 5,342 babies in the U.S. since 1882. In 2025 it ranked #1,913 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 2017, with 166 recorded.

Babies named Linus, 2025

1 in 40,400

Linus over time, 1880–2025

Boys
05010015020018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Linus: meaning, origin, and history

Possibly flax, through Λῖνος

Latin and Ancient Greek

What Linus means

Linus belongs to the name family reached through Linus → Linus → Λῖνος. Its meaning is “flax”.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Latin Linus, Ancient Greek Λῖνος (Lînos), of uncertain meaning.

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Linus (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Linus is used in English, German, Latin and Swedish. Its origins include Latin and Ancient Greek.

Linus comes through Latin Linus, Indonesian Q15196019 and Ancient Greek Λῖνος.

Related names and everyday forms

Related names include Linus and Λῖνος.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Linus is pronounced /ˈlaɪ.nəs/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 5,342 boys were recorded with the name Linus between 1882 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 166 in 2017; its best national rank was #625 in 1882.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #1,405 in 2020 to #1,913 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #1,155 in 2015 to #1,913 in 2025.

How common is Linus?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 40,400
82 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 20,800
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#1,913
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
28,024 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Linus sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 5001%

Put another way: gather 28,024 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Linus. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Linuss were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Linus was born before 2002 — so the typical Linus is around 23 today.

Median birth year
2002
About 23 years old
Biggest decade
2010s
26.1% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
51.1%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
3,753
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2010s — 26.1% of all recorded uses (1,396).

Is Linus rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
−488
Places dropped
Rank vs 5 years ago
−508
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
−758
Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago
0.50×
Fewer babies than then
Share of its own peak
49.4%
Peak was 2017 (166)
Years since peak
8
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Shifting
14.7% average annual change
Best rank ever
#625
1882

Spellings of Linus

Linus is not the most common spelling — Titus is, with 48.2% against Linus's 9.6%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Linus is used

Across 2016–2025, Linus was most concentrated in Minnesota — about 1 in 5,556 boys, against 1 in 16,965 across all states with data. It was least common in North Carolina (1 in 50,000).

218 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Minnesota1 in 5,556
  2. 2Wisconsin1 in 5,882
  3. 3Washington1 in 8,333
  4. 4Michigan1 in 12,500
  5. 5Oregon1 in 12,500
  6. 6California1 in 14,286
  7. 7New York1 in 14,286
  8. 8Pennsylvania1 in 14,286

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Linus around the world

Where Linus ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1996–2025
    #3,684
    in 2025
  • Scotland
    2009–2009
    #626
    in 2009
  • France
    1915–2018
    #5,047
    in 2018
  • Norway
    1880–2025
    #86
    in 2025
  • Canada
    1996–2024
    #1,817
    in 2024
  • South Australia
    1948–2011
    #784
    in 2011

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, Statistics Norway, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS, NRS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. SSB, CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Notable people named Linus

People whose public names include Linus, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Linus by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#1,913
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 508
Best rank ever
#625
1882
Peak year
2017
166 that year
First recorded
1882
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
5,342
Count in 2025
82

Names similar to Linus

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

LinoLindenLinkLindaLinkinMagnusLindonLindyYunusLindsayLintonLindseyLinkenLinnLinzyLindellLinkonLinwoodLinkynLinkolnLinnieLincolnLinLinford

Names with a curve like Linus

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Linus, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

RansomNolenSmithEmmetHamptonHenriAnselCliveGrayHazenEmmitArmin

Sibling names for Linus

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Linus

Top names of 2017, Linus's peak yearThe 2010s in fullOther names that peaked in 1882Boys' names starting with LSoft Boy NamesSwedish Boy Names