Linn

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Linn

Pronounced LIN /ˈlɪn/High

Meaning: As a boy's name Linn works two ways: a clipped form of Lynn or Linden — from Welsh/English words for a pool or the linden tree — and an independent Scandinavian name carried by Nordic-American families.Low

In 30 seconds: Linn, for a boy, is a trim one-syllable name — a short form of Lynn or Linden and a Scandinavian name in its own right (said 'LIN'), most seen in the mid-1900s.

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Linn

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Origin LowEnglish, Scandinavian

MeaningAs a boy's name Linn works two ways: a clipped form of Lynn or Linden — from Welsh/English words for a pool or the linden tree — and an independent Scandinavian name carried by Nordic-American families.

U.S. rank (1989)#8708 ↘ Falling

1989 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1947

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,450

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Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Linn as a masculine name draws on two streams: the English Lynn and Linden — rooted in words for a pool or the linden tree — and a Scandinavian Linn brought over by Nordic immigrant families. Either way it is spare and surname-like.

It saw its modest peak around the late nineteen-forties and never grew common, edged out as Lynn drifted toward girls. Today it reads as a crisp, slightly old-fashioned boy's name with a Northern-European flavor.

Did you know? The boy's Linn had its small heyday in the years right after the Second World War, when brisk single-syllable names sat easily beside surnames-as-first-names on the American playground.

Overall data confidence 50%

Behind the Name — Lynn — root sense pool/waterfall; linden tree via Linden

Variations

LynnLindenLin

Nicknames

Lin

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Linn…

Glenn— another spare one-syllable mid-century boy's name for a valley

Lynn— the sister spelling Linn clips from

Linden— the fuller tree-name Linn can stand in for

Vaughn— shares the terse, surname-like sound of the same era

Explore names like Linn

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Linn mean?

For a boy, Linn is a short form of Lynn or Linden — from words for a 'pool' or the 'linden tree' — and a Scandinavian name.

How do you pronounce Linn?

It's said LIN /ˈlɪn/ — one syllable.

Is Linn a boy or girl name?

Linn has been used for both; this entry covers its use as a boy's name.

How popular is Linn?

Linn was an uncommon mid-twentieth-century boy's name and is rare today.