FastNamesLinda
Spanish and Germanic name meaning "From the Spanish adjective linda, meaning 'pretty' or 'lovely', and reinforced by Germanic compound names containing lind, meaning 'gentle, soft' or 'linden tree'.". Ranked 902nd for girls in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Linda
From the Spanish adjective linda, meaning 'pretty' or 'lovely', and reinforced by Germanic compound names containing lind, meaning 'gentle, soft' or 'linden tree'.
Linguistically, Linda is classified under Spanish and Germanic naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "LIN-duh".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Linda has been given to a total of 1,455,143 girls. It has also been given to 3,756 boys.
Peak year: Linda reached its highest relative share among girls in 1948, when 96,220 babies received the name (56,670 per million births).
All-time best rank: 1st place, first achieved in 1947.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 902nd with 294 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 666th (down 236 spots).
Busiest decade: More girls were named Linda in the 1950s than in any other decade (564,364 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 493 |
| 1890s | 872 |
| 1900s | 996 |
| 1910s | 2,395 |
| 1920s | 4,455 |
| 1930s | 29,358 |
| 1940s | 531,660 |
| 1950s | 564,364 |
| 1960s | 225,454 |
| 1970s | 45,900 |
| 1980s | 22,819 |
| 1990s | 12,815 |
| 2000s | 7,220 |
| 2010s | 4,386 |
| 2020s | 1,956 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Linda is most common in the US
Accounting for when Linda was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- Nevada: 1.3 times the national rate (1,968 births since 1910).
- Oklahoma: 1.2 times the national rate (22,877 births since 1910).
- Vermont: 1.2 times the national rate (3,504 births since 1910).
- Wyoming: 1.2 times the national rate (2,627 births since 1910).
- Arkansas: 1.2 times the national rate (20,345 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Linda?
About 1,089,000 living American girls and women share the name Linda. Additionally, an estimated 2,400 living American boys and men share the name.
The median age of an American named Linda is 73 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Linda
Linda has dual etymological lineages: in Romance languages it reflects the Spanish and Portuguese adjective for 'pretty', while in Germanic languages it originated as a hypocoristic suffix from ancient compounds like Ermelinda, Rosalind, and Belinda, where the element lind signifies softness or the wood of the protective linden tree.
The standalone name entered wider English use in the early nineteenth century, encouraged by Romantic literature including James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Mohicans (1826) and poetical associations. By the turn of the twentieth century, it was a regular presence in American birth registries, steadily climbing toward the upper tiers of common given names.
In 1946 and 1947, the name experienced one of the most explosive single-year surges ever recorded by the Social Security Administration. Songwriter Jack Lawrence composed the hit song 'Linda' (written for young Linda Eastman, later Linda McCartney), which dominated national radio broadcasts. The name surged from rank eight to number one in 1947, ending Mary's unbroken multi-decade streak at the top, and peaked in 1948 with over 96,000 newborn girls.
Folk etymology and misconceptions
Often assumed to be purely Spanish due to the adjective linda, though nineteenth-century English adoption was heavily influenced by German Romantic literature and older English names like Belinda.
Notable people named Linda
- Linda Ronstadt (1946–), Singer
- Linda McCartney (1941–1998), Photographer and musician
- Linda Hamilton (1956–), Actress
- Linda Evangelista (1965–), Supermodel
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 196.
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 169.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.