Lineker is a surname of medieval English origin, a variant spelling of the name found also as '' Linacre'', ''Linaker'', ''Linneker'', ''Liniker'', ''Linnecor'', ''Linnecar'', ''Linegar'' and ''Linnegar''. As of about 2016, 411 people bore one or another variant of this surname in Great Britain and 6 in Ireland; in 1881, 155 people in Great Britain bore one.

Etymology

The surname originated as be a locative name, given to people from places whose names are now generally spelled Linacre. Such place-names in turn derive from

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

''līn'' ('flax') and ''aker'' ('field'), thus denoting places associated with a flax-field. The name is first attested in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086, which mentions a Cambridgeshire man named Godwin de Linacra.''The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'', ed. by Patrick Hanks, Richard Coates, and Peter McClure, 4 vols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), III, p. 1592 .v. ''Linacre'' .

Notable people

Notable people with the surname include: * Danielle Lineker (born 1979), Welsh model, Ex-wife of Gary Lineker *

Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker ( ; born 30 November 1960) is an English Sports broadcasting, sports broadcaster and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Lineker is the only player t ...

(born 1960), English former footballer *

John Lineker John Lineker (born June 12, 1990) is a Brazilian Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship, where he is the former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion. Lineker formerly competed in the bantamweight divisio ...

(born 1990), Brazilian mixed martial artist * Matt Lineker (born 1985), English cricketer

References

{{surname English-language surnames

Etymology

Notable people

See also

References