Linda at a glance
- Meaning
- “soft, gentle”
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Germanic
- Pronunciation
- LIN-duh
- Other forms
- Lynda, Lindy
Where the name Linda comes from
Linda began as a short form of old Germanic names containing lind, which probably meant “soft” or “flexible”, though it may also refer to the linden tree. Many people also connect it with the Spanish and Portuguese word linda, “pretty”. It was one of the most common girls’ names in the US in the 1940s and 1950s.