Jolinda
A feminine name derived from the name Jolene, meaning "beautiful light".
Name Census estimates that about 785 living Americans carry the first name Jolinda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jolinda today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jolinda births was 1947 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jolinda. 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.
People living today
785
~ 1 in 436,630 Americans
Peak year
1947
39 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
2010 SSA rank
#14,163
Tracked since 1936
Popularity
Jolinda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jolinda from the 1930s through to the 2010s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 244 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
Jolinda 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 Jolinda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jolindas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Indiana, California recorded the most babies named Jolinda, while California, Indiana, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jolinda
Jolinda is a feminine given name of uncertain origin, though it is believed to have originated in Spain or Portugal during the Middle Ages. One theory suggests that it may be derived from the Spanish or Portuguese word "joli," meaning "pretty" or "beautiful," combined with the common feminine suffix "-inda." Another possibility is that it is a combination of the Germanic elements "jol" (meaning "holiday" or "celebration") and "lind" (meaning "gentle" or "soft").
The earliest recorded use of the name Jolinda can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of the Iberian Peninsula. Some historians have speculated that it may have been inspired by the name of a character in a medieval Spanish or Portuguese literary work, though no definitive evidence of this has been found.
In the 14th century, there is a record of a Jolinda de Montfort, a noblewoman from Catalonia, Spain. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her involvement in local political affairs.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure named Jolinda Boccaccio (1420-1491) gained recognition as a poet and scholar in Florence, Italy. She was celebrated for her contributions to the literary circles of the time and her translations of classical Greek texts.
In the 17th century, Jolinda van der Meer (1625-1699) was a Dutch painter known for her still-life compositions and portraits. Her works are considered significant examples of the Dutch Golden Age of painting.
Another historical figure with the name Jolinda was Jolinda Mendoza (1789-1856), a Mexican author and activist who advocated for women's rights and education. She wrote several influential essays and novels that challenged societal norms of her time.
Throughout history, the name Jolinda has retained its unique and melodic quality, though it has never been widely popular. It has been used across various cultures and regions, primarily in Europe and Latin America, adding to its rich and diverse heritage.
People
Jolinda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jolinda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jolinda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jolinda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 785 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jolinda 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 436,630 US residents.
Is Jolinda a common name?
We classify Jolinda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,003 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jolinda most popular?
The single biggest year for Jolinda was 1947, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jolinda is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jolinda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jolinda 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.