Name of the Week: Lincoln

 

Origin:

As a given name Lincoln is directly adopted from the English surname Lincoln. This surname derives from the city of Lincoln, the county capital city of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands region, and would have originally denoted a person who came from the city.  The city was founded as a Roman legionary fortress on a hill overlooking Brayford Pool (the natural lake formed by the widening of the River Witham) around the time of the reign of the Emperor Nero (58-68). This lake forms the centre of the city and was key to its industrial success over the centuries.  The Romans called it Lindum — a Latinised form of the native Brythonic Celtic name (reconstructed as *Lindon) which was derived from the Celtic *lindo "pool, lake."  After 86 A.D, the fortress became a Colonia (a settlement for retired soldiers) and thus became known as Lindum Colonia and eventually contracted as Lincoln.

Usage:

Like most surnames, Lincoln has been used as a given name for centuries, originally having been given because it was the mother's surname, or in honour of a godparent or relative. In Lincoln's case, we cannot discount that some of its use may also have been thanks to the place itself. Lincoln was never an especially common surname — it ranks as the 1982nd most common surname in the 1881 UK census — so Lincoln can only be found in small numbers as a given name before the mid-19th century.  The following is a list of births for the name Lincoln in England and Wales per decade from 1840: 1840s: 7 births 1850s: 5 births 1860s: 112 births 1870s: 52 births 1880s: 64 births 1890s: 90 births 1900s: 101 births 1910s: 63 births 1920s: 75 births 1930s: 34 births 1940s: 55 births 1950s: 69 births 1960s: 261 births 1970s: 52 births The great jump in usage from the 1850s to 1860s can be attributed to the assassination of American President Abraham Lincoln in April 1865.  Lincoln was only registered as a first name twice in 1862, seven times in 1863, five times in 1864, and once in January-March 1865. However, in the next quarter of April-June 1865 (the period when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated), 22 babies were given the name, followed by a further 22 in the following last two quarters.  Some of these children had the middle name Garibaldi, given in honour of Giuseppe Garibaldi who was seen as a heroic figure of liberalism. This is another indication that some British parents were directly looking to heroic and martyred figures such as Abraham Lincoln for inspiration.  Furthermore, some children at this time were name "Abraham Lincoln" as a first and middle name, and this too saw a rise in 1865:   1861: 1 birth 1862: - 1863: 3 births 1864: 1 birth 1865: 17 births The name also saw an upsurge again a century later in the 1960s. It may not be a coincidence that this was at the time of the centenary of Abraham Lincoln's death. From 1996 to 2005, Lincoln was consistently given to 8-17 boys each year in England and Wales, placing it below the the top 1000. It rose significantly in 2006 to #357 (96 births) after the airing of TV show Prison Break in late 2005, featuring the character Lincoln Burrows.  The name too a further leap in 2013 when it went from #263 (182 births) to #204 (271 births), perhaps in part due to the release of the film Lincoln in January 2013, and has continued to rise since.   In 2015, Lincoln ranked #129 (479 births) in England and Wales. Regionally, the name featured in the top 100 in three regional districts: #84 in the North East, #89 in the North West #98 in Yorkshire and the Humber, showing that the name is gained particular popularity in the North of England.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th United States president. * Lincoln Ellsworth (1880–1951), American explorer. * Lincoln Kirstein (1907–1996), American artist. * Lincoln Walsh (1903–1971), American inventor. Contemporary: * Lincoln Withers (b. 1981), Australian rugby player. Literature and Other Media: * Lincoln Burrows, a main character in TV show Prison Break.

Variants:

Lincon

Pronunciation:

LIN-cən [key]

Possible diminutives:

Link, Lake

Sibling Names:

Skye     Savannah     Esmae     Sadie     Lyla     Eden  Carter     Greyson     Hunter     Layton      Sawyer     Mason

Name Lists:

N/A

 

If you like Lincoln you may also like:   Logan, Hudson, Lennox, Chester, Fletcher, Franklyn, Oakley, Spencer, Harley, Archer

Thanks to Danielle for requesting Lincoln.