The Lien surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,827 people carried this name — #5,127 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 43,300 people counted. That is up 3% from 6,630 in 2000.

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In Switzerland’s population statistics

55 people named Lien live in Switzerland.

They live in 9 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Bern.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Bern 12
Basel-Stadt 8
Zurich 8
Aargau 6
Basel-Landschaft 6
Graubünden 4
Solothurn 4
Schwyz 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 49 people named Lien.

13 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 9 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 13
Bas-Rhin 11
Martinique 8
Paris 6
Nord 3
Vienne 3
Haut-Rhin 2
Loire 1
French Polynesia 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 47 people named Lien live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Río Negro.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Río Negro 18
Córdoba 17
Santa Fe 12

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 30 people named Lien live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Hainaut.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Hainaut 25
Brussels-Capital 5

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

6,549 people named Lien are counted in Norway and Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers.

Counted, by country

Norway (2025) 6,356
Sweden (2022) 193

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Lien in American newspapers,
1908–1929.

Newspaper page from The Evening Times carrying the name Lien
The Evening Times 1908-10-31
Newspaper page from The Poplar Standard carrying the name Lien
The Poplar Standard 1929-03-21
Newspaper page from The Poplar Standard carrying the name Lien
The Poplar Standard 1928-03-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,933 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Lien in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1970s.

8,221 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lien. The most, 1,697, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 2,615
New South Wales 2,100
Queensland 1,610
South Australia 877
Tasmania 497
Western Australia 488
ACT (Canberra) 19
Northern Territory 6

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lien.

Who carried it

People named Lien,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Brita Lien
    Brita Lien 1875–1965 · writer
  • Brytteva Olesdatter Lien 1692–1713
  • Johannes Einar Christensen Lien 1837–1917 · politician
  • Johannes Einar Christensen Lien 1838–1917 · politician
  • Ole O. Lien 1849– · politician
  • Mathias Paulsen Lien 1872– · photographer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Lien,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States403 records

403 records of the Lien name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 123
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 102
  • Other U.S. records 178
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Lawrence Lien

    Born 1946; from Lead, South Dakota. U.S. Navy, boatswain's mate; killed in action 1968 in South Vietnam. Buried at Black Hills National Cemetery, South Dakota.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ronald A. Lien

    Born 1926 in Minnesota. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Snelling; stock clerk from Hennepin County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1994, buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wilhelm Lien

    Arrived at New York in 1893 aboard the H.h. Meier from Bremen, aged 42; farmer. From New York, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 403 records for Lien in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Norway2,136 records

2,136 records of the Lien name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Anne Lien

    Census of 1910: Gunnerusgate, Kristiania; maidservant, born 1888 in Kvam N Fron.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Martin Lien

    Census of 1910: Fløtbakken Stange Almenning, Stange; forestry worker, born 1893 in Stange.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Gurid Lien

    Census of 1910: Lien, Hol; farmer, born 1854 in Hol.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 2,136 records for Lien in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Netherlands59 records

59 records of the Lien name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 42
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 12
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 5
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Wilhelmina Elisabeth Catharina Lien

    Married in 1902 in Amsterdam. Died 1940 in Zeist, aged 55.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Nils Peter Lien

    Married in 1845 in Amsterdam; seaman.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Catharina Johanna Jacoba Lien

    Died 1892 in Utrecht, aged 45.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 59 records for Lien in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France15 records

15 records of the Lien name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marie Therese Lien

    Born 1909 in Mutzig (Bas-Rhin); died 1990 in Limoges (Haute-Vienne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Chou Lien

    Born 1912 in Cambodia; died 2001 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Therese Lien

    Born 1894 in Mutzig (Bas-Rhin); died 1980 in Lautenbachzell (Haut-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Lien in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany12 records

12 records of the Lien name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Lien

    From Gotha. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 11 September 1916 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 59).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list August Lien

    From Neustadt, Coburg. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 10 June 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 32).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Lien

    From Mutzig, Molsheim. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 19 February 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Lien in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Canada9 records

9 records of the Lien name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Other Canadian records 3
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ba Lien

    Died 1995, aged 55; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Amund Lien

    Buried in 1994 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 88.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record George Rudolph Lien

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 9 records for Lien in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia7 records

7 records of the Lien name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 3
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 3
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Berthinius Lien

    Arrived in Queensland in 1873 aboard the Friedeburg, aged 30.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record B. N. T. Lien

    Arrived in Victoria in 1900 aboard the Orizaba, aged 24.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Hans Lien

    Of near Gosford, New South Wales; died 1928.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Lien in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Lien name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Mauritius Lien

    Born 1910 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Lien.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Lien is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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