Lindsay (name)
Lindsay is both an English and Scottish surname and a given name. The given name comes from the Scottish surname and clan name, which comes from the toponym Lindsey, which in turn comes from the Old English toponym Lindesege for the city of Lincoln, in which Lind is the original Brittonic form of the name of Lincoln and island refers to Lincoln being an island in the surrounding fenland. Lindum Colonia was the Roman name of the settlement which is now the City of Lincoln in Lincolnshire. Lindum was a Latinized form of a native Brittonic name which has been reconstructed as *Lindon, which means "pool" or "lake" 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 Britain and the 1970s in the United States. They are both now unisex 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.
Surname
The surname comes from the name of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Lindsey. The first user was Sir Walter de Lindesay, one of the retainers of David I of Scotland.The surname of Lindsay continued to be borne by the Earls of Balcarres and Earls of Crawford, down to the current holder of the title, Anthony Lindsay, 30th Earl of Crawford, 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, Ingram Lindsay David Lyndsay and Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie are early examples of the name being used as "surname" by members of lower nobility in Scotland. Lindsay was used in the 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, who sometimes anglicized their name as Lindsay, even though more common anglicizations were Lynch or Linchey. In addition, the MacClintock 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.
People named Lindsay
Surname
- Lindsay
Given name
Male
- Lindsay Anderson, British film director
- Lindsay Barrett, Jamaican-born writer
- Lindsay Brown , American baseball player
- Lindsay Cooper, Scottish bassist
- Lindsay Crosby ; American actor and singer
- Lindsay Dawson, American artist
- Lindsay Gaze, Australian basketball player and coach
- Lindsay Grace, American academic, artist, and video game designer
- Lindsay Hamilton, Scottish footballer
- Lindsay Hassett, Australian Test cricketer
- Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, Member of Parliament for Chorley
- Albert Lindsay von Julin, Finnish engineer and businessman
- Lindsay Kemp, British dancer, actor, teacher, mime artist and choreographer
- Lindsay Kline, Australian Test cricketer
- Lindsay Knapp, Football player
- Lindsay G. Merrithew, Canadian entrepreneur, executive producer, producer, and actor
- Lindsay Rogers, Burgess Professor of Public Law, Columbia University ; Director, Social Science Research Council
- Lindsay Scott, American football player
- Lindsay Sloper, English pianist
- Lindsay Tait, New Zealand basketball player
- Lindsay Tuckett, South African cricketer
- Lindsay Weir, New Zealand cricketer
Female
- Lindsay Armstrong, South-African born Australian writer
- Lindsay Armaou, Greek-Irish singer and actress
- Lindsay Bartholomew, English artist
- Lindsay Cooper, English musician and political activist
- Lindsay Crouse, American actress
- Lindsay Czarniak, American sports anchor and reporter
- Lindsay Davenport, American tennis player
- Lindsay Duncan, Scottish actress
- Lindsay Edmonds, American basketball coach
- Lindsay Ell, Canadian country singer-songwriter and guitarist
- Lindsay Ellingson, American fashion model, Victoria's Secret Angel
- Lindsay Ellis, American film critic and author
- Lindsay Felton, American actress
- Lindsay Gottlieb, American basketball coach
- Lindsay Hartley, American actress
- Lindsay Hawker, British murder victim
- Lindsay Lee-Waters, American tennis player
- Lindsay Lohan, American actress and singer
- Lindsay Mathyssen, Canadian politician
- Lindsay Morton, American cancer epidemiologist
- Lindsay Pagano, American singer
- Lindsay Price, American actress and singer
- Lindsay Rimer British unsolved murder victim
- Lindsay Seidel, American voice actress
- Lindsay Sloane, American actress
- Lindsay Tarpley, American soccer player
- Lindsay Tausch, American politician
- Lindsay Taylor, American basketball player
- Lindsay Thorngren, American figure skater
- Lindsay Wagner, American actress
- Lindsay Peoples Wagner, American journalist and editor
- Lindsay Whalen, American basketball player
- Lindsay van Zundert, Dutch retired figure skater
Notable fictional characters
- Lindsay Bluth Fünke, a character on Arrested Development
- Lindsay Boxer, a character on 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, a character on Freaks and Geeks
- Lindsay, a character on the Canadian animated series ''Total Drama''
People named Lindsey
Surname
- Adrian Lindsey, American athlete and coach
- Arthur Ward Lindsey, American entomologist
- Beatrice Lindsay, English zoologist, writer, and editor
- Ben Lindsey , American collegiate basketball coach
- Ben Lindsey , American judge and social reformer
- Brandon Lindsey, American football player
- Charles H. Lindsey, British computer scientist
- Chris Lindsey, American country music songwriter and producer
- Christopher Lindsey, American professional wrestler known as Roderick Strong
- Isaac Coleman Lindsey, Louisiana politician
- David L. Lindsey, novelist
- Drake Lindsey, American football player
- 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, American romance novelist
- June Lindsey, 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, American politician
- Steve Lindsey, American record producer
- Steven W. Lindsey, American astronaut
- Theophilus Lindsey, theologian, founder of Unitarianism in England
Given name
Male
- Lindsey Buckingham, American guitarist, singer, composer, and producer, member of Fleetwood Mac
- Lindsey Durlacher, American Greco-Roman wrestler
- Lindsey Ginter, American actor
- Lindsey Graham, American politician and US Senator from South Carolina since 2003
- Spessard Lindsey Holland, American politician
- Lindsey Hugh Holliman, politician
- Lindsey Hughes, historian
- Lindsey Hunter, American basketball player
- Lindsey Lamar, American football player
- Lindsey Lee Moore, American politician from Virginia
- Lindsey Nelson, American sportscaster
- Jay Lindsey Tibbs, baseball player
- Lindsey Witten, American football player
Female
- Lindsey Berg, American volleyball player
- Lindsey Cardinale, American singer and American Idol contestant
- Lindsey Davis, English novelist
- Lindsey Decker, American artist
- Lindsey Earner-Byrne, Professor of Irish Gender History
- Lindsey Evans, American fashion model and beauty queen
- Lindsey German, British politician
- Lindsey Halligan, American lawyer
- Lindsey Harding, American basketball coach
- Lindsey Haun, American actress and singer
- Lindsey Hilsum, English news reporter
- Lindsey Jacobellis, American snowboarder
- Lindsey McKeon, American actress
- Lindsey Moore, American basketball player
- Lindsey Pelas, American model
- Lindsey Russell, British television presenter
- Lindsey Shaw, American actress
- Lindsey Stirling, American violinist
- Lindsey Van, American ski jumper
- Lindsey Vonn, American alpine skier
- Lindsey Vuolo, photographer's model
- Lindsey Wixson, American fashion model
- Lindsey Wright, American professional golfer
- Lindsey Zurbrugg, American wheelchair basketball player
Notable fictional characters
- Lindsey Bergman, American Girl character
- Lindsey Butterfield, a character on the soap opera Hollyoaks
- Lindsey McDonald, a character on the TV show 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, American swimmer
- Lyndsay Glohe, Australian football player
- Lyndsay Hammond, Australian musician
- Lyndsay McIntosh, Scottish politician
- Lyndsay Meyer, American ski-mountaineer
- Lyndsay Proctor, New Zealand rugby player
- Lyndsay Wall, American ice-hockey player