Lin

Girl name variations

Boy name variations

Family name origins & meanings

• Chinese : from a word meaning ‘forest’. Bi Gan was a half-brother to Zhou Xin, the cruel and corrupt last king (1154–1123 bc) of the Shang dynasty. Bi Gan criticized his half-brother’s excesses, and for this he had his belly ripped open and his heart cut out. His wife fled to Chang Forest, where she gave birth to a son. When Zhou Xin was toppled by the new Zhou dynasty, the new Zhou ruler granted the son some land together with the name Lin.
• Chinese : variant of Lian 1.
• Scottish and English : perhaps a variant of Lynn.
• Dutch : probably a variant of Lyn.

Appears on

• Chinese Last Names and Meanings