Linnette
Feminine · “Little linnet”
The linnet is named after flax, because that is what it eats. The bird lives on small seeds and had a particular reputation for taking linseed, so English called it after the plant; the French and the Latin names do the same thing, which is rare agreement among bird names.
How old is the name Linnette?
Linnette first appears in US birth records in 1930 — 95 years ago. The typical Linnette alive today was born around 1970, making them about 55 years old. About 1,000 people named Linnette are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Linnette most popular?
Linnette peaked in 1967, reaching #1980 nationally. See the whole 1967 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From linot to Linnette
The story of Linnette
The bird was caged in enormous numbers. Linnets were among the most popular songbirds in Victorian Britain, trapped in the tens of thousands by professional bird-catchers and sold in city markets, particularly in the east end of London, where a good singer fetched a serious price and blinded birds were said to sing better. The trade was one of the things the early bird protection societies were founded to stop, and the legislation that eventually came in was among the first wildlife law anywhere. The population has fallen a long way since, for reasons to do with farming rather than trapping, and the bird is now on the red list.
Meaningscholars disagree
Little linnet
If the name is from the bird, the ending is a French diminutive and the whole means a small linnet. It may instead be a build on Lynn with the same ending, in which case it means nothing. Both are available and the spelling with a doubled n points slightly towards the bird.
How the name formed
- linot
- linnet
- Linnette
Pronouncing Linnette
li-NET
Two syllables with the stress at the back, which the French ending brings with it. The doubled n keeps the first vowel short and the final e is silent, as it is in every English word carrying this ending.
Nicknames for Linnette
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1930
- Most girls named
- 196735 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1980reached in 1967
- Change vs 2017
- 0.0%6 in 2022, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Linnettes among us
people named Linnette are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Linnette sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Final stress gives the name a definite finish and makes it carry when called.
- Lin and Nettie are two short forms in different registers.
- The bird behind it is real, small and easy to point at.
- Lynette and Linette are both commoner, so spelling it out is likely.
- The bird association is unknown to most Americans, so the meaning has to be explained.
- It is firmly dated to the middle of the last century in American ears.
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Linnette
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Linnettes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,000 people named Linnette are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Linnette in 2025?
- Linnette is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Linnette with classmates?
- Linnette will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More L names
The most-given names starting with L, all years combined.
Linda#902 · Lisa#987 · Laura#379 · Lauren#401 · Lillian#57 · Lori#1721 · Louise#514 · Lois#1666
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Linnette? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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