Lynn (given name)
| Gender | Unisex |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Celtic |
| Meaning | Pond, Waterfall, Pool, Lake |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Lin, Linda, Linell, Linn, Linnell, Lyn, Lynae, Lyndee, Lyndel, Lyndell, Lyne, Lynell, Lynelle, Lynette,Lynlee, Lynley, Lynna, Lynne, Lynnelle, Lynnett, Lynnette, Kaylynn, Kaylin |
Lynn or Lynne is a surname and given name in English speaking countries.
Surname
It has a number of separate derivations:
- A locational surname from any of a number of places in England, the place name in turn derived from old Celtic lenna (meaning pool or lake).[1]
- A locational surname in Scotland, the place name derived from Scots Gaelic meaning water feature or pool.[1]
- A surname derived from an Old Gaelic personal name in the north of Ireland, originally O' Fhloinn, later O' Loinn, O' Lynn and Lynn.[1] {See also the surnames Flynn and O'Flynn.}[2]
The earliest recorded instance of the surname is Aedricus de Lenna of King's Lynn (1177).[1][3]
Given name
As a given name, Lynn is predominantly female. Now it is more popular as a middle name than as a first name. It is also popular as a suffix for female first names, such as Madalyn/Madalynn, Jocelyn/Jocelynn, Ashlyn/Ashlynn and Emmalyn/Emmalynn. In the year 2013, only 90 girls were given the name Lynn in the United States (variant spellings not included), according to Social Security's "Beyond The Top 1000" name lists, available for download on their website.
Notable people named Lynn
Female
- Lynn Abbey (born 1948), American author
- A. Lynn Armstrong (born 1970), American sex offender and Messiah to the Church of Cawd
- Lynne Cheney (born 1941), American novelist, conservative scholar, talk-show host and the Second Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009
- Lynn Collins (born 1979), American actress
- Lynne Featherstone (born 1951), British politician
- Lynn Hilary (born 1982), Irish soprano singer and guitarist
- Lyn Mikel Brown (born 1956), American academic, author, feminist, and youth activist
- Lynn Redgrave (1943–2010), English actress
- Lynn Whitfield (born 1953), American actress
- Lynn Flewelling (born 1958) American fantasy novelist
- Lynne Bjarnason (born 1963) American artist
Male
- Lynn Allen, American football player
- Lynn Bradford, American football player
- Lynn Dean (born 1923), Louisiana politician
- Lynn Davies (born 1942), Welsh athlete
- Lynn Hoffman (author) (born 1944) American writer
- Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born 1947), hall of fame pitcher for 4 MLB teams
- Lynn Strait (born 1967), American singer
- Lynn Swann (born 1952), former American athlete
- Lynn Matthews (born 1944) former American athlete
- Lynn W. Enquist
See also
- Linn (disambiguation)
- Linn (geology)
- Dublin, derivation Dubh Linn ("black pool")
- All articles beginning with "Lynn"
Notes
- ^ a b c d Internet Surname Database – Linn (Lynn)
- ^ Internet Surname Database – Flynn
- ^ Discovering Surnames, Freeman JW, Shire Publications, 3rd ed. 2001, (reprinted 2007), pp 37 (Lynn, Linn, Lenn)