Skip to content
rarebabynames.Name discovery

A LITTLE UNCOMMON. ENTIRELY YOURS.

Linus

Meaning, origin and pronunciation, with published usage by place and year.

Keep this name?

Checking your saved choices…

Share this name or preview its baby card in Discover.

Open sharing and baby cards in Discover

Meaning

Literal meaning uncertain in the documented Greek name tradition.

The exact English personal-name entry derives Linus through Latin from Greek Linos and explicitly calls its meaning uncertain. This does not turn an unverified flax or song interpretation into an established translation.

Origin

Greek, through Latin

From Greek Linos through Latin Linus. The reviewed source describes its meaning as uncertain.

English pronunciation

/ˈlaɪ.nəs/

General American English; the first syllable rhymes with eye.

Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.

Published name usage

Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.

Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
PlaceYearRecorded usagePublished birthsRankNotes
Canada2025Boys15 · preliminary15002025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France2018Boys5 (rounded to 5)5047Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales2025Boys53684Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland2009Boys3626Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States2025Boys821906Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.

Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.

Sources & notes

Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.

Language of use: English

Checked against cited source

The exact English entry explicitly documents masculine given-name use, separate from the page’s geographical sense. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Linus entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Linus&oldid=93462571. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Meaning: Literal meaning uncertain in the documented Greek name tradition.

Checked against cited source

The exact English personal-name entry derives Linus through Latin from Greek Linos and explicitly calls its meaning uncertain. This does not turn an unverified flax or song interpretation into an established translation. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Linus entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Linus&oldid=93462571. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Origin: Greek, through Latin

Checked against cited source

From Greek Linos through Latin Linus. The reviewed source describes its meaning as uncertain.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

English pronunciation: /ˈlaɪ.nəs/

Checked against cited source

General American English; the first syllable rhymes with eye.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Syllables: 2 (the recorded General American reading)

Checked against cited source

The existing full General American personal-name reading /ˈlaɪ.nəs/ has two syllables. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Linus entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Linus&oldid=93462571. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

country_CA

View statistics source (link unavailable)

country_FR

View statistics source (link unavailable)

(C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

Attribution: (C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

View statistics source

View licence

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

View statistics source

View licence

U.S. Social Security Administration

Attribution: U.S. Social Security Administration

View statistics source

Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

License: Statistics Canada Open Licence

Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

View statistics source

View licence

Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.

View statistics source

View licence