Lynn

Lynn comes from the Celtic-Welsh word for “lake” (llyn). Other Celtic words describing a body of water (i.e., a lake) include “linn” (Irish), “lenn” (Breton), “loch” (Scottish) and “logh” (Manx). Many place names in the ancient Celtic World include the “lake” element in their names (such as Dublin “black lake”; the Llŷn Peninsula in Wales; or the English seaport town of King's Lynn). In terms of a name, Lynn first developed as a surname which eventually morphed into a masculine personal name and finally, in the 20th century, became distinctly female. The surname derived from various place names in England so-called Lynn, named because the area featured a lake or a pond. When surnames came into circulation in England during the Middle Ages (as a means of identification for the purposes of taxation), they were generally derived from one of five sources: location names, topographical features, names passed from the father, occupations and nicknames – in this case, Lynn developed as a surname from a place name. Such surnames were generally given to men who hailed from a specific town but later relocated elsewhere (the name of his birthplace would have served to identify him). The first recorded evidence of this particular surname appeared in the late 12th century and was rendered as “de Lenna”. Aside from Lynn’s history as an English surname, it is also an Irish last name, a shortened version of O’Flynn. O’Flynn is a clan name meaning “descended from Flann” (Flann being a nickname for a person with a ruddy complexion). Although Lynn has a history of being used as a forename for boys, it’s pretty much considered exclusively female now. As such, it is often connected to “Linda” (Spanish for “beautiful”) or any female name ending with the “-lynn” suffix. Although Lynn was extremely popular in the mid-20th century, it has fallen off the radar in most English speaking nations. It is, however, ranked very high in the Netherlands (currently the 11th most popular female name).