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Lincoln History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Lincoln History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Lincoln family name to the British Isles. They lived in the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire. The place-name is derived from the British name Lindo, which means lake, and the Latin word, colonia, which means settlement or colony. During the Roman occupation of England, the town was an important administrative center. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was a center for cloth manufacturing and is famous for the "Lincoln Green."

Another source claims the "name is derived from Lin in the Gaelic, Welsh, and Cornish-British, which signifies a pool, pond, or lake, and coln, the ridge or neck of a hill, so called from its situation, as it occupies the top and side of a steep hill on the river Witham, which here divides into three streams." [1]

Early Origins of the Lincoln family

The surname Lincoln was first found in Lincolnshire. One of the first record of the family was Alured de Lincoln, who came from Normandy with the Conqueror. He witnessed a charter in Normandy 1080 and just six years later in 1086 held a great barony in Lincolnshire and Bedfordshire. In 1130, Robert de Lincoln was listed in the Pipe Rolls, and in 1165 Alured de Lincoln held a barony of thirty fees. [2]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include: Robert de Linccolne in Nottinghamshire; and Richard de Linccolne in Huntingdonshire. Hugh de Lyncoln, fiscatar, was a Freemen of York, 3 Edward II (during the third year's reign of Edward II.) Daniel de Lyncoln was listed in the Writs of Parliament of 1324 and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Adam de Lincoln. [3]

Early History of the Lincoln family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lincoln research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1622, 1637 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Lincoln History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lincoln Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Lincoln, Lincolne, Lincorne and others.

Early Notables of the Lincoln family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Samuel Lincoln, of Norwich, England (1622-1690), an apprentice weaver who left England for America in 1637 and became the progenitor of his great-great-great-great-grandson, President Abraham Lincoln...
Governor Levi Lincoln, Sr

Lincoln Ranking

In the United States, the name Lincoln is the 2,129^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. [4]

Lincoln migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Lincoln or a variant listed above:

Lincoln Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Lincoln, who arrived in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1633 [5]
Elizabeth Lincoln, aged 23, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Transport" [5]
Samuel Lincoln, who arrived in New England in 1637 [5]
Stephen Lincoln, who landed in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1638 [5]
Steven Lincoln, who arrived in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1638 [5]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lincoln Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Lincoln, who landed in America in 1765 [5]
Mary Lincoln, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 [5]

Lincoln Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Horatio Lincoln, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1813 [5]
H E Lincoln, who landed in San Franciscn, California in 1850 [5]
J O Lincoln, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 [5]
C Lincoln, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 [5]
Eliza Lincoln, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [5]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lincoln migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lincoln Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Luke Lincoln, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Lincoln migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Lincoln Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Lincoln, English convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worchestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [6]
Mr. George Lincoln, (b. 1824), aged 15, English labourer who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1884 [7]
Mr. Joseph Lincoln, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [8]
Mr. John Lincoln, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [9]
Mr. Robert Lincoln, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 25th January 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) [10]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lincoln migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Lincoln Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. F. Lincoln, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Swordfish" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 12th July 1859 [11]
Mr. L. Lincoln, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Swordfish" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 12th July 1859 [11]
Mr. William Lincoln, South African settler travelling from Cape Town aboard the ship "Eveline" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 22nd January 1865 [12]
William Lincoln, aged 28, a painter, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 [13]
Thomas Lincoln, aged 29, a shepherd, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lincoln (post 1700) +

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), American Republican politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives, 1834-41; U.S. Representative from Illinois 7th District, 1847-49; 16th President of the United States, 1861-65; he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on Good Friday, April 14, 1865 [14]
Keith Payson Lincoln (1939-2019), American AFL football running back who played from 1961 to 1968
Brigadier-General George Arthur Lincoln (1907-1975), American Special Assistant to Secretary of Defense (1949-1952) [15]
Blanche L Lincoln (b. 1960), American politician, US Senator for Arkansas (1998-)
Levi Lincoln (1749-1820), American politician, U.S. Attorney General (1801-1804), and governor of Massachusetts (1808-1809)
Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810), American Revolutionary soldier and general
Charles G. Lincoln, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 14th District, 1855-56 [14]
Blanche Lambert Lincoln (b. 1960), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Arkansas 1st District, 1993-97; U.S. Senator from Arkansas, 1999-2011; Defeated, 2010 [14]
Benjamin F. Lincoln (b. 1831), American Republican politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives from Lyndon, 1876-78, 1888 [14]
Benjamin Lincoln, American politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives from New Bedford; Elected 1819, 1822, 1831, 1832, 1833 [14]
... (Another 49 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Lincoln family +

Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)

Wendy Anne Lincoln (1965-1988), American Student from North Adams, Massachusetts, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died [16]

USS Arizona

Mr. John William Lincoln, American Fireman First Class from Iowa, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking [17]

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) George Lincoln. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Lincoln/George_Arthur/USA.html
Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html