Lindsay (name) explained

Lindsay is both a Scottish surname and a given name. The given name comes from the Scottish surname and clan name, which comes from the toponym Lindsey, which in turn comes from the Old English toponym Lindesege ("Island of Lind") for the city of Lincoln, in which Lind is the original Brittonic form of the name of Lincoln and island refers to Lincoln being an island in the surrounding fenland.[1] [2] Lindum Colonia was the Roman name of the settlement which is now the City of Lincoln in Lincolnshire. (Lindum Colonia was shortened in Old English to Lindocolina and then Lincylene.)[3] Lindum was a Latinized form of a native Brittonic name which has been reconstructed as *Lindon, which means "pool" or "lake" (cf. the second part of the name Dublin and modern Welsh Welsh: {{linktext|llyn)[4] and refers to the Brayford Pool.

In the late 19th century, the surnames Lindsay and Lindsey began to be used as given names, at first only as masculine names. They remained typically masculine until the 1960s in Britain and the 1970s in the United States. They are both now unisex names in the United States. In Australia, New Zealand, and Scotland, Lindsay remains popular for masculine use and Lindsey has mainly become feminine.[2] [1] [5] As a first name, Lindsey was the 570th most popular name for girls born in the United States in 2014, while Lindsay ranked 653rd. Both spellings ranked among the top 100 names for girls from 1980 through 1993, with Lindsey peaking at #35 in 1983 and 1984 and Lindsay peaking at #36 in the same years.[6] [7]

Surname

The surname comes from the name of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Lindsey. The first user was Sir Walter de Lindesay, one of the retainers of David I of Scotland.[2]

The surname of Lindsay continued to be borne by the Earls of Balcarres and Earls of Crawford, down to the current holder of the title, Anthony Lindsay, 30th Earl of Crawford (born 1958), while the Earls of Lindsay have used the additional surname of Lindesay since its adoption by Reginald Lindesay-Bethune, 12th Earl of Lindsay in 1919.

The names of John de Lindsay (died 1335), Ingram Lindsay (15th century) David Lyndsay (c. 1490 – c. 1555) and Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie (1532–1580) are early examples of the name being used as "surname" by members of lower nobility in Scotland. Lindsay was used in the United Kingdom by younger sons of the Lindsay clan chiefs, acquiring the status of common surname in the course of the 19th century.

The surname Lindsay is also found in Northern Ireland. Irish people called Lindsay are either descended from members of the Scottish clan Lindsay who migrated to Ireland, or alternatively of the Gaelic O'Loinsigh sept, who sometimes anglicized their name as Lindsay, even though more common anglicizations were Lynch or Linchey. In addition, the MacClintock (MacIlliuntaig) family anglicized their name as Lindsay in the 17th century.

Five men called Linsey are recorded as heads of families in the 1790 United States Census of Prince George's County.[8]

People named Lindsay

Surname

Given name

Lindsay
Gender:unisex
Origin:clan name, from toponym Lindsey
Related Names:Lindsey, Linsay, Limsay, Linsey, Lyndsay, Lyndsey, Lynsey, Lynsay, Linzey, Lynzi, Lynzie, Lynsi, Linzie, Linzi, Lindsy, Lyndsy, Lynnsey, Lindsee, Lynsie, Lyndsie

Male

Female

Notable fictional characters

People named Lindsey

Lindsey
Gender:Unisex
Region:Lincolnshire
Origin:derived from the toponym Lindsey
Related Names:Lindsay
Footnotes:[9]

Surname

Given name

Male

Female

Notable fictional characters

Other variations

Lyndsay

See also: Lyndsay (name).

Linsay

Linsey

Surname
Given names

Lyndsie

Lyndsey

Lyndsy

Lynsay

Lynsey

Fictional characters

Linni

See also

Notes and References

  1. The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, p. 136
  2. https://books.google.com/books?id=9nd05X_awIgC&q=lindsay A Dictionary of First Names
  3. Web site: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle – Parker MS: entry for 942 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110501203010/http://www8.georgetown.edu/departments/medieval/labyrinth/library/oe/texts/asc/a.html . 1 May 2011.
  4. Delamarre, Xavier, Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise, Errance, 2003 (2nd ed.), p. 203.
  5. Web site: Meaning, origin and history of the name Lindsay. Mike. Campbell. Behind the Name. 17 November 2017.
  6. Web site: Lindsey – Popularity of Lindsey, How Popular Is the name Lindsey?. www.ourbabynamer.com. 17 November 2017.
  7. Web site: Lindsay – Popularity of Lindsay, How Popular Is the name Lindsay?. www.ourbabynamer.com. 17 November 2017.
  8. Web site: RootsWeb.com Home Page. freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. 28 December 2017.
  9. http://www.babynames.co.uk/meaning_origin_name_Lindsey.htm Lindsey-Meaning and origin of the name Lindsey

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