Belinda
Of Spanish origin, meaning "beautiful."
Name Census estimates that about 59,046 living Americans carry the first name Belinda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Belinda today is around 56 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Belinda births was 1961 (3,123 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Belinda. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Belinda is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 150 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1960s, recent registration numbers for Belinda have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
59K
~ 1 in 5,805 Americans
Peak year
1961
3,123 babies that year
Average age
56
years old
1990 SSA rank
#1,726
Tracked since 1889
Gender
Gender distribution for Belinda
Out of the 73,002 babies given the name Belinda since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Belinda as a male name
- Ranked #7,268 in 1990
- 6 male births in 1990
- Peak: 1957 (11 births)
Belinda as a female name
- Ranked #1,726 in 2024
- 117 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1961 (3,118 births)
Popularity
Belinda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Belinda from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 23,003 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Belinda by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Belinda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Belindas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Belinda, while Vermont, Alaska, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,354 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Belinda
The name Belinda is an English feminine given name with origins tracing back to the Italian language and the Renaissance era. It is derived from the Italian words "bella" meaning beautiful and "linda" meaning pretty or lovely, thus translating to "beautiful pretty one."
During the Renaissance period, the name gained popularity in Italy, particularly among the nobility and upper classes. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the late 16th century, with one of the earliest known bearers being Belinda Arundell, born in 1583 to a noble English family.
The name gained further recognition in the 17th century after appearing in the pastoral poetry of Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" published in 1590. In this epic work, Belinda is portrayed as a beautiful and virtuous character, solidifying the name's association with beauty and grace.
In 1714, the English poet Alexander Pope immortalized the name in his famous mock-heroic poem "The Rape of the Lock." The poem's central character, Belinda, is a witty and charming young woman caught in a playful battle of the sexes, further cementing the name's literary significance.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Belinda. One of the earliest was Belinda Bencowe, an English courtier and author born in 1626. Another prominent figure was Belinda Blakeney, an English actress and singer who lived from 1648 to 1708 and was known for her performances in Restoration comedies.
In the 19th century, Belinda Pauline Vaux Lushington (1830-1890) was a notable English philanthropist and social reformer who advocated for women's education and the abolition of slavery. Belinda Carlisle, born in 1958, is a famous American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist of the all-female rock band The Go-Go's.
More recently, Belinda Bencic, born in 1997, is a Swiss professional tennis player who has achieved notable success, including reaching the top 10 in the WTA rankings and winning multiple singles titles on the tour.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Belinda
People
Belinda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Belinda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Belinda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Belinda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 59,046 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Belinda going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,805 US residents.
Is Belinda a common name?
We classify Belinda as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 73,002 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Belinda most popular?
The single biggest year for Belinda was 1961, when 3,123 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Belinda is about 56 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Belinda a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Belinda in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.