Lincoln

From Lincoln; the place name combines “lake/pool” and “colony”.

Lincoln is an English boy’s name with a place-name story: it reached first-name use through the surname taken from the city of Lincoln. The familiar explanation “settlement by the lake” is a loose rendering of that city’s older name, rather than a description of a person. The name’s immediate English origin and its deeper Celtic and Latin roots describe different stages of the same history. In English, Lincoln is pronounced /ˈlɪŋ.kən/, approximately LINK-uhn. The first syllable takes the stress, and the second l is silent. That makes the spoken name more compact than its spelling might suggest. On the page, Lincoln has the substantial look of a surname; aloud, the soft final syllable lightens it. This balance can give it a grounded yet current feel. If you like a name with a firm opening but little flourish at the end, that contrast is part of its appeal.

Etymology: The given name comes from an English surname taken from the city of Lincoln. Its earlier name, Lindum Colonia, joins a British Celtic element referring to a lake or pool with Latin colonia, “colony” or “settlement”.