Linda
Either Spanish linda “pretty” or the Germanic lind, the pliant lime wood a shield was made from.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Spanish for 'pretty'; the 1947 hit song 'Linda' coincided with the name doing what no name had done before: dethroning Mary.
Linda appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1936 to 1978. It has been the single most popular name for American girls in 6 different years, first in 1947 and most recently in 1952. Its biggest year was 1947, when 99,692 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 1 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 902 for girls. All told, 1,458,899 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Lynda (78,098), Lynnda (676) (total births since 1880)
Explore Linda interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 493 | No. 255 |
| 1890s | 872 | No. 282 |
| 1900s | 996 | No. 293 |
| 1910s | 2,395 | No. 306 |
| 1920s | 4,455 | No. 277 |
| 1930s | 29,358 | No. 15 |
| 1940s | 531,660 | No. 1 |
| 1950s | 564,364 | No. 1 |
| 1960s | 225,454 | No. 3 |
| 1970s | 45,900 | No. 38 |
| 1980s | 22,819 | No. 107 |
| 1990s | 12,815 | No. 175 |
| 2000s | 7,220 | No. 354 |
| 2010s | 4,386 | No. 587 |
| 2020s | 1,956 | No. 800 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.