Girl name · Germanic
Linda
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: soft, tenderLinda is a girl's name that comes from Germanic and means "soft, tender". It is used in English and German.
- Meaning
- Soft, tender
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #902 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Linda
As a girl's name, Linda comes from Germanic and means "soft, tender". It is used in English and German.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Linda on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Linda on 3 lists.
“Soft, tender; Germanic lind. Also Spanish for pretty”
From German girl names, traditional German female names
“Runs the household like a committee chair”
From Outrageous pet names, human names for pets
“Soft, gentle; Germanic. Took No. 1 from Mary from 1947 to 1952”
From Vintage girl names, 1930s to 1950s girl names
How popular is Linda?
- US rank in 2025
- #902
- 294 babies, 183 per million girls
- Best rank
- #1 in 1947
- 99,692 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 1,455,143
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 376 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 393 per million |
| 1900s | 340 per million |
| 1910s | 294 per million |
| 1920s | 373 per million |
| 1930s | 2,753 per million |
| 1940s | 36,705 per million |
| 1950s | 29,341 per million |
| 1960s | 12,343 per million |
| 1970s | 2,970 per million |
| 1980s | 1,329 per million |
| 1990s | 712 per million |
| 2000s | 391 per million |
| 2010s | 251 per million |
| 2020s | 201 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #663 | #704 | #718 | #769 | #815 | #844 | #802 | #841 | #836 | #902 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Linda
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- LidaShort form of Lidiya, woman of Lydia (Greek, girl)
- LinaShort form of names ending in -lina, such as Carolina and Paulina (Latin, girl)
- LindeLinden tree (Dutch, girl)
- LisaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- LunaThe moon (Latin, girl)
- LiaItalian, Portuguese and Greek form of Leah (Hebrew, girl)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- LinneaTwinflower, a woodland flower (Swedish, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- DietlindePeople and soft (Germanic, girl)
- GerlindeSpear and soft (Germanic, girl)
- HerlindeArmy and soft (Germanic, girl)
- LamisSoft (Arabic, girl)
- LayanSoft, delicate (Arabic, girl)
- NerminSoft, gentle (Persian, girl)
- SabaSoft breeze (Arabic, girl)
Middle names for Linda
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Germanic
- EmmaWhole, universal (Germanic, girl)
- AlinaShort form of Adelina, Albina and names ending in -alina (Germanic, girl)
- AliceNobility, of noble kind (Germanic, girl)
- CharlotteFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LouiseFamous warrior (Germanic, girl)
- AdaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdelaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdeleNoble one (Germanic, girl)
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- BertaBright, famous (Germanic, girl)
Linda: common questions
What does the name Linda mean?
Linda comes from Germanic and means "soft, tender".
Is Linda a boy or girl name?
Linda is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Linda come from?
Linda comes from Germanic and means "soft, tender". Today it is used in English and German.
How popular is the name Linda?
Linda ranked #902 in the US in 2025, with 294 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Linda?
Names spelled like Linda include Lida, Lina, Linde, Lisa and Luna.
What middle names go with Linda?
Middle names that flow well with Linda include Blair, Faith, Grace, Isabella and Margaret. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.