Meaning and background
The story behind Lin
Lin crosses several naming traditions. The Dictionary of American Family Names records Chinese characters including 林, associated with woods, and 藺, associated with rushes, alongside other romanizations. It separately notes a Burmese personal-name element referring to brightness or clarity, Cambodian use with unresolved details, and Scottish or English links to Lynn or possibly Flynn. The short Latin spelling therefore needs language and family context before any single meaning can be assigned.
- Origin
- Surname spelling with multiple Chinese characters, Burmese bright or clear name-element use, Cambodian Chinese-origin use, and British Lynn or possible Flynn variants. Source
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About Lin
Recorded as a dog’s name
Lin appears in 9 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/lɪn/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/lɪn/ · primary stress on syllable 1L IH1 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.