Linus

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled ลันสี in TH Thailand.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 8 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Linus is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Swedish given name26K records spelled Linus7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, United States

  Languages: Swedish, Norwegian Bokmål, Danish

  Also written Lînüs

• Spanish given name6.2K records spelled Linus56 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Mexico

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French

  Also written Lino, Lin, L'In, Liño, Liñ

• Indonesian given name3.5K records spelled Linus2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, United States

  Also written Liñus

• Croatian given name379 records spelled Linus24 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Croatia, United States, Philippines, Tanzania

  Languages: Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian

  Also written Lino, Lin, Лин, Лино, Línö

61 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Linus is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• Linus is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "flax". It has ancient roots in both Greek mythology as a master musician and in early Christian history as the name of the second pope.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• Linus is a significant figure in Christian tradition, representing a direct link between the apostolic age and the subsequent leadership of the Church. His identification as the first successor to Peter in Rome is foundational to the doctrine of apostolic succession in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, symbolizing the continuity of the faith.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• In English, Greek myth; comic strip character;

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

• In English, pope; son of Psamathe & Apollo in

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

• [Ignoto]

  as a name·Il grande libro dei nomi per bebè. Significato, origini, curiosità. Oltre 7000 nomi per bambine e bambini Significato,…

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 128 years between 1882–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Paus Linusb. 10IT2nd Pope of the Catholic Church
• Linus Yaleb. 1821USAmerican mechanical engineer (1821–1868)
• Linus Paulingb. 1901USAmerican scientist (1901–1994)
• Joe Bartonb. 1949USnot in their usual nameAmerican politician; U.S. Representative for Texas
• Linus Roacheb. 1964GBEnglish actor
• Linus Torvaldsb. 1969FIFinnish software engineer (born 1969)
• Linus Sandgrenb. 1972SESwedish cinematographer
• Linus Sebastianb. 1986CACanadian YouTuber
• Linus Straßerb. 1992DEGerman alpine skier
• Linus Wahlqvistb. 1996SESwedish association football player

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 594 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Linus?

We estimate roughly 35 thousand people bear Linus (counting its spellings and scripts) across 12 countries in our records.

In which country does Linus have the most bearers?

We estimate about 25 thousand people bear Linus in Sweden, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled linus.

Where is Linus most common?

Linus is densest in Sweden, where the national register counts about 1 in 408 people carrying it.

How common is Linus compared with other names?

In Sweden, Linus is the 284th most common given name of 36,824 given names recorded there.

Is Linus a male or female name?

Linus is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Linus mean?

Recorded meaning: The name Linus is the Latin form of the Greek name Λίνος (Linos), which means "flax" or "flaxen-haired".