Baby name prediction: Lincoln?

The character Abraham Lincoln from the movie "Lincoln" (2012)
Abraham Lincoln from “Lincoln”

The Oscars are coming up, so now is the perfect time to ask: will the movie Lincoln (2012) make the baby name Lincoln more popular?

The movie, which has been nominated for twelve Academy Awards, was directed Steven Spielberg and stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States.

The baby name Lincoln is already on its way up, so we should be anticipating an increase in 2012 and 2013 usage regardless. But will the movie give the name an extra boost?

Here are the most recent numbers for the baby name Lincoln:

  • 2011: 2,145 baby boys named Lincoln
  • 2010: 1,866 baby boys named Lincoln
  • 2009: 2,010 baby boys named Lincoln
  • 2008: 1,815 baby boys named Lincoln
  • 2007: 1,654 baby boys named Lincoln
  • 2006: 1,106 baby boys named Lincoln
  • 2005: 501 baby boys named Lincoln
  • 2004: 413 baby boys named Lincoln

The name, which comes directly from the surname, can be traced back to the city of Lincoln, England. The city’s name is a condensed form of Lindum Colonia, which became the name of the settlement after the Romans took it over in the first century AD. Lindum is the Latinized form of the settlement’s original Celtic name, Lindon, which is based on a Brythonic word meaning “pool.” (It refers to Brayford Pool, a lake in the center of Lincoln.) And colonia means “colony” in Latin.

So, do you think the movie will influence the name? If yes, how?

Source: Lincoln – Online Etymology Dictionary

6 thoughts on “Baby name prediction: Lincoln?

  1. I think it will climb but we wont notice a major boost.

    Anyway, we’ll have to wait til 2014 to see if the movie influenced the name or not

  2. Oh it’s definitely taking off locally, there was one week last fall when there were two birth announcements for babies named Lincoln, plus another child named Abraham.

    Don’t forget the movie “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” was also released in 2012.

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