Fun Facts About the Name Tinlee
- 452 babies named Tinlee: U.S. records list 452 babies given the name Tinlee from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Tinlee Mean?
Tinlee is a modern English given name whose meaning cannot be fully established. The recognizable part is the ending -lee, one of the spellings of the Old English element lēah, which meant "wood," "clearing," or "meadow" and appears in a great many English place names and surnames as -ley, -leigh, or -lee. The first element, Tin-, is not securely identified. It does not match a well-documented English place-name or personal-name element that would give the whole name a settled translation, so it may come from a personal name, a shortened form of a longer name, or simply a modern coinage. Similar-looking names are not necessarily related: for example, the English surname and place name Tinsley comes from a different first element and should not be treated as the source of Tinlee. Because the first element is unclear, the overall meaning is listed as uncertain, while only the -lee element can be explained with confidence.
Tinlee Name History & Origins
The -lee ending belongs to a large family of English names formed from lēah, the Old English word for a woodland clearing. Such names began as descriptions of places; over centuries they became surnames, and English surnames were then adopted as first names, a practice that expanded greatly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The specific spelling -lee became particularly common in the United States in the later 20th century, when it was widely used alongside -ley and -leigh as a way of softening or modernizing the older surname ending.
Tinlee fits that pattern rather than an Old English one. It is a rare given name, and its use belongs to the modern period of English naming, when parents combined familiar sounds with established surname-style endings. Whether it also exists as an inherited family surname, and if so in what region, would determine whether it developed independently as a first name or as a respelling of an existing surname. That point remains unresolved.
How Popular is the Name Tinlee?
Tinlee has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2016. Its best rank was #3,094 in 2016.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,408 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #10,988 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #6,896 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 2022 | #6,440 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2021 | #4,941 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2020 | #5,651 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 2019 | #4,144 | 35 | 0.0021% |
| 2018 | #3,737 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 2017 | #4,063 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2016 | #3,094 | 54 | 0.0030% |
| 2015 | #3,697 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2014 | #4,443 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2013 | #5,817 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2012 | #6,556 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #5,346 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2010 | #5,583 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2009 | #17,132 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #18,218 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Tinlee Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Tinlee's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Tinlee's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.