NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Lyn

A feminine name meaning "small lake" or "pool" of Welsh origin.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Lyn is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Lyn popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5891, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 4 births.

This profile covers 17 England and Wales registrations across 5 recorded years from 2000 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 437 living people in the UK are called Lyn. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Lyn ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2006, when 4 girls were registered as Lyn.
  • Lyn ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #664 in 1998.
  • About 437 living people in the UK are estimated to have Lyn as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5891

2024

Births in 2024

3

Latest year

Peak year

2006

4 births

Estimated living

437

2026

Meaning

What does Lyn mean?

The name Lyn is a diminutive form of the name Linda, which is derived from the Spanish name Lindo, meaning "pretty" or "beautiful." The name can be traced back to the 16th century, when it was used as a nickname for people named Linda or Belinda. It gained popularity in English-speaking countries during the 20th century as a standalone name.

The origins of the name Lyn can be found in various cultures and languages. In German, the name Lina is a variant of Lindo, while in French, the name Line is a diminutive of Madeleine. In Celtic cultures, the name Lynn is derived from the Welsh word "llyn," meaning "lake" or "pool."

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Lyn was in the 13th century, when a woman named Lyn de Verdon was mentioned in historical records from England. In literature, the name appears in the 16th-century play "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, where one of the characters is named Linen.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lyn. One of the most famous was Lyn Nofziger (1924-2006), an American political consultant and author who served as a White House press secretary under President Ronald Reagan. Another notable figure was Lyn St. James (born 1947), an American racecar driver who competed in the Indianapolis 500 and was a pioneer in promoting women's involvement in motorsports.

In the world of entertainment, Lyn Randolph (1890-1944) was an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and films during the early 20th century. Lyn Talbot (1936-1988) was an American actress and singer best known for her roles in television shows such as "The Monkees" and "Hawaii Five-O."

Lyn Hejinian (born 1941) is an American poet and academic who has been recognized for her contributions to language poetry. Her works include "My Life" and "The Cell," among others.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Lyn over time

The chart below shows babies named Lyn registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2000 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Lyn, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 4 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Lyn
01234200020122024

Decades

Lyn by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Lyn was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #5891 3 1
2000s #4348 14 4

Geography

Where Lyn is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Lyn. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Lyn ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #664 in 1998.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Lyn in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#664 in 1998

23 years of NRS records, 430 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Lyn

  • Lyn Hagan

    performance artist

    British performance artist

    2000-

  • Lyn Carpenter

    netballer

    England Netball player, Local Government Executive Director

    2000-

  • Lyn Byl

    handball player

    British handball player

    1979-

  • Lyn Marven

    translator; university teacher; germanist

    1975-

  • Lyn Sprules

    athletics competitor

    British athlete

    1975-

  • Lyn Jones

    rugby union player; rugby union coach

    Welsh rugby union footballer and coach

    1964-

  • Lyn Brown

    politician

    British politician (born 1960)

    1960-

  • Lyn Léwis Dafis

    writer; priest; librarian

    Welsh Anglican priest and librarian

    1960-2022

Related

Names similar to Lyn

FAQ

Lyn: questions and answers

How popular is the name Lyn in the UK right now?

In 2024, Lyn was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Lyn most popular?

The peak year on record was 2006, with 4 babies registered as Lyn in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Lyn?

A feminine name meaning "small lake" or "pool" of Welsh origin.

How many people are called Lyn in the UK?

A total of 17 babies have been registered as Lyn across the 5 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 430 more in Scotland.

Where is Lyn most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Lyn ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #664 in 1998. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.