The first name Linda
A girl’s name meaning “tender”, “soft”, “gentle”.
Pronounced /ˈlɪndə/ 2 syllables Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Linda means “tender”, “soft”, “gentle”.
Latinised short form of Germanic compound names ending in -lind, -linde (“tender, soft”) (English -inda), such as Sieglinde and Dietlinde, and earlier names such as Old High German Irmilinda and Old Dutch Frithelind, from Proto-Germanic *linþaz (“gentle, mild”), whence also Old English līþe (“gentle, mild, pliable, limber”) (English lithe). Later misassociated with unrelated Spanish linda (“beautiful”). The name became known through 19th century literature and the opera Linda di Chamounix (1842). More at lithe. The coordination language is named after Linda Lovelace, a reference to the programming language Ada, itself named after Ada Lovelace.
More names that mean beauty.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 15 girls were named Linda, making it the 1,892nd most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1997, with 39 births (#638).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Linda with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Linda at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 294 girls born in the United States were named Linda, the 902nd most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1947, when 99,692 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Linda in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Linda in Spanish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Linda
162 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Linda B. BuckAmerican biologist, born 1947
- Linda HamiltonAmerican actress, born 1956
- Linda RonstadtAmerican singer (born 1946)
- Linda LovelaceAmerican pornographic actress (1949-2002)
- Linda EvangelistaCanadian model (born 1965)
- Linda BlairAmerican actress, born 1959
- Linda HuntAmerican actress, born 1945
- Linda CardelliniAmerican actress (b. 1975)
- Linda McCartneyAmerican photographer, musician and animal rights activist (1941–1998)
- Linda DarnellAmerican actress (1923–1965)
- Linda NoskováCzech tennis player (born 2004)
- Linda Thomas-GreenfieldAmerican diplomat (born 1952)
Questions
- What does the name Linda mean?
- Linda means “tender”, “soft”, “gentle”.
- How popular is the name Linda?
- In 2025, 15 girls born in England and Wales were named Linda, ranking 1,892nd. Its peak was 1997, with 39 births.
- What are nicknames for Linda?
- Common nicknames for Linda include Linnie, Lyn.
- Is Linda a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 1,458,899 US babies named Linda since 1880 were girls.
- When was Linda most popular?
- 1947 in the United States, when 99,692 babies were named Linda, its highest rank at 1st.
- How do you pronounce Linda?
- Linda is /ˈlɪndə/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Linda?
- Lynda.
- Is Linda also a surname?
- Yes. Linda is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.