Lino
A surname with several possible roots, most likely from the Latin and Romance word for “flax” or “linen,” or from a name based on the personal name Lino.
The #9,020 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,171 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Lino may come from the Latin word lĭnum, meaning “flax” or “linen,” which passed into Romance languages as a common word for the plant and its fiber. In some cases it may also be a surname taken from the personal name Lino, itself used in Christian and classical naming traditions. Because the same spelling can arise independently in different languages, the surname is best treated as having more than one possible origin.
History
The provided sources do not give a direct surname entry for Lino, but they do show the word in its Romance sense, especially Spanish, where it means the flax plant. That makes an occupational or nickname-like connection plausible in Iberian contexts, while in other places the surname may reflect the given name Lino. Modern bearers are found in several language communities, including Spanish- and Italian-speaking ones, which fits a surname with multiple independent origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Romance languages, the same root behind Lino also appears in words for linen, flax, and related textile terms.
From the historical record
“I. Lino Philaddidiia, 1. Lerett, I«Tet, Iievetta, Iio-”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances