Lindsay or Lindsey () is an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
surname and
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...
. The given name comes from the Scottish surname and
clan name, which comes from the toponym
Lindsey Lindsey may refer to :
Places Canada
* Lindsey Lake, Nova Scotia
England
* Parts of Lindsey, one of the historic Parts of Lincolnshire and an administrative county from 1889 to 1974
** East Lindsey, an administrative district in Lincolnshire, ...
, which in turn comes from the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
toponym ''Lindesege'' ("Island of Lind") for the city of
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
, in which ''Lind'' is the original
Brittonic
Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to:
*Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain
*Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic
*Britons (Celtic people)
The Br ...
form of the name of Lincoln and ''island'' refers to Lincoln being an island in the surrounding fenland.
[The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, p. 136][A Dictionary of First Names]
by Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, and Flavia Hodges ''
Lindum Colonia
Lindum Colonia was the Latin name for the settlement which is now the City of Lincoln in Lincolnshire. It was founded as a Roman Legionary Fortress during the reign of the Emperor Nero (58–68 AD) or possibly later. Evidence from Roman tomb ...
'' was the Roman name of the settlement which is now the
City of Lincoln in
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
. (''Lindum Colonia'' was shortened in Old English to Lindocolina and then Lincylene.) ''Lindum'' was a
Latinized form of a
native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
Brittonic
Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to:
*Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain
*Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic
*Britons (Celtic people)
The Br ...
name which has been
reconstructed as *''Lindon'', which means "pool" or "lake" (cf. the second part of the name
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
and modern Welsh ') 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 UK, Britain and the 1970s in the United States. They are both now feminine names in the United States. In Australia, New Zealand, and Scotland, Lindsay remains popular for masculine use and Lindsey has mainly become feminine.
[ 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.
Common alternative spellings of this name include but are not limited to: Lindie, Lindy, Linni, Linnie, Linny, Linds, Linza, Elle, Ell, Ellie, Ella.
]
Surname
The surname comes from the name of the Anglo-Saxon Realm, kingdom of Lindsey Lindsey may refer to :
Places Canada
* Lindsey Lake, Nova Scotia
England
* Parts of Lindsey, one of the historic Parts of Lincolnshire and an administrative county from 1889 to 1974
** East Lindsey, an administrative district in Lincolnshire, ...
. The first user was Sir Walter de Lindesay, one of the retainer (medieval), retainers of David I of Scotland.[
The surname of Lindsay continued to be borne by the Earl of Balcarres, Earls of Balcarres and Earl of Crawford, Earls of Crawford, down to the current holder of the title, Robert Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford (born 1927), 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 of Great Britain and Ireland, 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#Ireland, sept, who sometimes anglicized their name as ''Lindsay'', even though more common anglicizations were Lynch (surname), Lynch or Linchey. In addition, the McClintock (disambiguation), 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.]
Given name
Male
*Lindsay Anderson (1923–1994), British film director
*Lindsay Barrett (born 1941), Jamaican-born writer
*Lindsay Brown (baseball) (1911–1987), American baseball player
*Lindsay Crosby (1938–1989); American actor and singer
*Lindsay Dawson (artist), Lindsay Dawson (born 1959), American artist
*Lindsay Gaze (born 1936), Australian basketball player and coach
*Lindsay Hamilton (footballer), Lindsay Hamilton (born 1962), Scottish footballer
*Lindsay Hassett (1913–1993), Australian Test cricketer
*Lindsay Hoyle (born 1957), Speaker of the House of Commons, Member of Parliament for Chorley (England)
*Lindsay Kemp (1938–2018), British dancer, actor, teacher, mime artist and choreographer
*Lindsay Kline (born 1934), Australian Test cricketer
*Lindsay Knapp (born 1970), Football player
*Lindsay G. Merrithew (born 1964), Canadian entrepreneur, executive producer, producer, and actor
*List of Knights of the Baltimore City College#Lindsay Rogers, Lindsay Rogers (1891–1970), Burgess Professor of Public Law, Columbia University (1920–1959); Director, Social Science Research Council (1934–36)
*Lindsay Scott (born 1960), American football player
*Lindsay Sloper (1826–1887), English pianist
*Lindsay Tait (born 1982), New Zealand basketball player
*Lindsay Tuckett (born 1919), South African cricketer
*Lindsay Weir (cricketer), Lindsay Weir (1908–2003), New Zealand cricketer
Female
*Lindsay Armstrong (born before 1970), South-African born Australian writer
*Lindsay Bartholomew (born 1944), English artist
*Lindsay Cooper (1951–2013), English musician and political activist
*Lindsay Czarniak (born 1977), American sports anchor and reporter
*Lindsay Davenport (born 1976), American tennis player
*Lindsay Ell (born 1989), Canadian country singer-songwriter and guitarist
*Lindsay Ellingson (born 1984), American fashion model, Victoria's Secret Angel
*Lindsay Ellis (born 1984), American film critic and author
*Lindsay Felton (born 1984), American actress
*Lindsay Gottlieb (born 1977), American basketball coach
*Lindsay Hartley (born 1978), American actress
*Murder of Lindsay Hawker, Lindsay Hawker (1984–2007), British murder victim
*Lindsay Lee-Waters (born 1977), American tennis player
*Lindsay Lohan (born 1986), American actress and singer
*Lindsay Morton, American cancer epidemiologist
*Lindsay Pagano (born 1986), American singer
*Lindsay Price (born 1976), American actress and singer
*Lindsay Seidel, American voice actress
*Lindsay Sloane (born 1977), American actress
*Lindsay Tarpley (born 1983), American soccer player
*Lindsay Taylor (born 1981), American basketball player
*Lindsay Wagner (born 1949), American actress
*Lindsay Whalen (born 1982), American basketball player
Notable fictional characters
*Lindsay Bluth Fünke, a character on ''Arrested Development (TV series), Arrested Development''
*Women's Murder Club (TV series)#Main characters, Lindsay Boxer, a character on ''Women's Murder Club (TV series), Women's Murder Club''
*Lindsay Dole, an attorney on ''The Practice''
*Lindsay Monroe, a character on ''CSI: NY''
*Lindsay Rappaport, a character on ''One Life to Live''
*Lindsay Weir (Freaks and Geeks), Lindsay Weir, a character on ''Freaks and Geeks''
*Lindsay, a character on the Canadian animated series ''Total Drama''
People named Lindsey
Surname
*Adrian Lindsey (1895–1980), American athlete and coach
*Ben Lindsey (basketball) (born c. 1939), American collegiate basketball coach
*Ben Lindsey (jurist) (1869–1943), American judge and social reformer
*Brandon Lindsey, American football player
*Charles H. Lindsey, British computer scientist
*Chris Lindsey, American country music songwriter and producer
*Coleman Lindsey, Isaac Coleman Lindsey (1892–1968), Louisiana politician
*David L. Lindsey, novelist
*Geoff Lindsey, writer
*George Lindsey, American actor
*Hal Lindsey, American evangelist and Christian writer
*Hillary Lindsey, country music songwriter
*Jim Lindsey, University of Arkansas trustee
*Johanna Lindsey (1952–2019), American romance novelist
*June Lindsey (born 1922), British-Canadian physicist and crystallographer
*Kate Lindsey, American operatic mezzo-soprano
*Korey Lindsey, American football player
*Lawrence B. Lindsey, economist
*Martin Lindsey, English vice-chancellor
*Melvin Lindsey, broadcaster
*Stephen Lindsey, U.S. politician
*Steve Lindsey, U.S. record producer
*Steven W. Lindsey, U.S. astronaut
*Theophilus Lindsey, theologian, founder of Unitarianism in England
Given name
Male
*Lindsey Buckingham (born 1949), American guitarist, singer, composer, and producer, member of Fleetwood Mac
*Lindsey Durlacher (1974–2011), US Greco-Roman wrestler
*Lindsey Graham (born 1955), American politician and United States Senate, US Senator from South Carolina since 2003
*Spessard Lindsey Holland (1892–1971), American politician
*Lindsey Hugh Holliman, politician
*Lindsey Hughes, historian
*Lindsey Hunter (born 1970), American basketball player
*Lindsey Lamar, American football player
*Lindsey Nelson (1919–1995), American sportscaster
*Jay Tibbs, Jay Lindsey Tibbs, baseball player
*Lindsey Witten (born 1988), American football player
Female
*Lindsey Berg (born 1980), American volleyball player
*Lindsey Cardinale (born 1985), American singer and ''American Idol'' contestant
*Lindsey Davis (born 1949), English novelist
*Lindsey Decker (1923–1994), American artist
*Lindsey Earner-Byrne, Professor of Irish Gender History
*Lindsey Evans (born 1989), American fashion model and beauty queen
*Lindsey German (born 1951), British politician
*Lindsey Haun (born 1984), American actress and singer
*Lindsey Hilsum (born 1958), English news reporter
*Lindsey Jacobellis (born 1985), American snowboarder
*Lindsey McKeon (born 1982), American actress
*Lindsey Pelas (born 1991), American model
*Lindsey Russell (born 1991), British television presenter
*Lindsey Shaw (born 1989), American actress
*Lindsey Stirling (born 1986), American violinist
*Lindsey Van (born 1984), American ski jumper
*Lindsey Vonn (born 1984), American alpine skier
*Lindsey Vuolo (born 1981), photographer's model
*Lindsey Wixson (born 1994), American fashion model
*Lindsey Wright (born 1979), American professional golfer
Notable fictional characters
* Lindsey Butterfield, a character on the soap opera ''Hollyoaks''
* Lindsey McDonald, a character on the TV show ''Angel (1999 TV series), Angel''
* Lindsey Naegle, a minor character on the TV show ''The Simpsons''
* Lindsey Novak, a character on the sci-fi series ''Stargate SG-1''
Other variations
Lyndsay
* Lyndsay DePaul (born 1988), American swimmer
* Lyndsay Glohe (born 1988), Australian football player
* Lyndsay Hammond, Australian musician
* Lyndsay Kahler (born 1974), American beauty pageant
* Lyndsay McIntosh (born 1955), Scottish politician
* Lyndsay Meyer (born 1973), American ski-mountaineer
* Lyndsay Proctor, New Zealand rugby player
* Lyndsay Wall (born 1985), American ice-hockey player
Linsay
*Linsay Felton (born 1984), American actor
*Linsay Willier, Canadian model
Linsey
;Surname
*Joseph Linsey (1899–1994), organized crime figure in Boston's underworld during Prohibition
*Meghan Linsey (born 1985), American musician, singer-songwriter, and runner-up of NBC's ''The Voice (U.S. TV series), The Voice The Voice (U.S. season 8), season 8
;Given names
*Linsey Corbin (born 1981), American triathlete
*Linsey Godfrey (born 1989), American actor
*Linsey MacDonald (born 1964), former Scottish sprinter from Dunfermline, Fife
*Linsey Dawn McKenzie (born 1978), English glamour model, pornographic actress, and minor celebrity
Lyndsie
*Lyndsie Fogarty (born 1984), Australian sprint canoeist
*Lyndsie Holland (1939–2014), English singer and actress
Lyndsey
* Lyndsey Marshal (born 1978), English actor
* Lyndsey Patterson (born 1982), American soccer player
* Lyndsey Pfaff (born 1978), Belgian television personality
* Lyndsey Rodrigues (born 1981), Australian television personality
* Martin Lyndsey, English 16th-century academic administrator
Lyndsy
*Lyndsy Fonseca (born 1987), American actress
Lynsay
* Lynsay Ryan (born 1984), Canadian curler
* Lynsay Sands, Canadian author
Lynsey
*Lynsey Addario (born 1973), American photojournalist
*Lynsey Askew (born 1986), English cricketer
*Lynsey Bartilson (born 1983), American actor
*Lynsey Baxter (born 1959), English actor
*Lynsey de Paul (born 1948), English singer-songwriter
*Lynsey DuFour, American television soap opera writer
*Lynsey Dyer (born 1983), American freestyle skier
*Lynsey Hipgrave (born 1979), English television and radio presenter formerly known as Lynsey Horn
*Lynsey McCullough (born 1991), Irish tennis player
*Lynsey Sharp (born 1990), Scottish athlete
; Fictional characters
*Lynsey Nolan, character on the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks''
Linni
*Linni Meister (born 1985), Norwegian model
See also
*Template:Lindsay family tree, Lindsay family tree, showing the relationship between some of the above
Notes
{{given name, type=both
English-language unisex given names
English unisex given names
English masculine given names
English feminine given names
Scottish unisex given names
Scottish masculine given names
Scottish feminine given names
English-language surnames
English toponymic surnames
Surnames of Lowland Scottish origin