Linda
A feminine name derived from the Spanish 'linda' meaning beautiful, tender.
Name Census estimates that about 930,356 living Americans carry the first name Linda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Linda today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Linda births was 1947 (99,909 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Linda. 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 Linda is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 3,756 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Linda is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lindas were born before 1966.
- • Compared to the 1950s, recent registration numbers for Linda have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
930K
~ 1 in 368 Americans
Peak year
1947
99,909 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1994 SSA rank
#835
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Linda
Out of the 1,458,588 babies given the name Linda since 1880, 99.7% 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.
Linda as a male name
- Ranked #5,307 in 1994
- 11 male births in 1994
- Peak: 1947 (216 births)
Linda as a female name
- Ranked #835 in 2024
- 321 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1947 (99,693 births)
Popularity
Linda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Linda from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 565,532 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Linda 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 Linda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lindas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Linda, while Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28,462 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Linda
The name Linda is a feminine given name of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the Spanish word "linda" meaning "pretty" or "beautiful." The name has its roots in the Latin word "linda," which translates to "beautiful" or "lovely."
The first recorded use of the name Linda dates back to the Middle Ages in Spain and Portugal. It was initially used as a descriptive term to describe a beautiful or attractive woman. Over time, it transitioned into being used as a proper given name.
In the 16th century, the name Linda gained popularity across Europe, particularly in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. During this period, several notable figures bore the name, including Linda de Camões (1524-1580), a Portuguese poet and sister of the famous writer Luís de Camões.
As the name spread across different cultures and languages, variations emerged, such as Lind or Linde in German, Lindi in Hindi, and Lindi or Lindis in Greek. However, the original Spanish and Portuguese form, Linda, remained the most widely recognized and used.
Throughout history, several influential women have borne the name Linda. One of the earliest notable figures was Linda de Hijar (c. 1300), a Spanish noblewoman and lady-in-waiting to Queen Maria de Molina of Castile.
In the 20th century, the name gained even more popularity, particularly in the United States. Some famous Lindas include Linda Ronstadt (born 1946), an American singer and songwriter; Linda Evangelista (born 1965), a Canadian model; and Linda Lovelace (1949-2002), an American pornographic actress and feminist activist.
Other notable Lindas throughout history include Linda Nochlin (1931-2017), an American art historian and feminist scholar; Linda Hunt (born 1945), an American actress known for her role in The Year of Living Dangerously; and Linda Vaughn (born 1943), an American motorsports personality and former actress.
The name Linda has endured through the centuries, maintaining its association with beauty and femininity. While its popularity has fluctuated over time, it remains a beloved and widely recognized name across various cultures and regions.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Linda
People
Linda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Linda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Linda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Linda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 930,356 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Linda 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 368 US residents.
Is Linda a common name?
We classify Linda as "Very Common". It ranks above 100% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,458,588 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Linda most popular?
The single biggest year for Linda was 1947, when 99,909 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Linda is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Linda a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Linda 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.