Lynda
Lynda was the 4619th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 30 babies. Its best year was 1947, when it ranked 77th with 4,840 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 423 places. More babies were named Lynda in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Linda) gentle, tender (Germanic) · Germanic
- Rank in 2025
- #4,619 girls, up 1,150 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 30girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19474,840 babies
- Total since 1880
- 78,098babies recorded
What does the name Lynda mean?
Lynda is a spelling of Linda, pronounced the same way, so it shares Linda's meaning and origin.
Linda began as a short form of Germanic women's names ending in -lind or -linde, such as Sieglinde and Dietlinde. Wiktionary traces this element to Proto-Germanic *linþaz 'gentle, mild', related to English lithe. The name was later linked with Spanish linda 'pretty', which is unrelated though it helped the name's appeal. It became known through 19th-century literature and Donizetti's opera Linda di Chamounix (1842).
*linþaz (Proto-Germanic, “gentle, mild, soft”)
How sure is this? Probable. Some references gloss the element lind as 'linden tree' or 'shield'; Wiktionary prefers 'gentle, soft'.
Other explanations you may read: From Spanish linda 'pretty'.
Related names: Lynda, Lindy, Belinda, Melinda.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Linda', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'lithe', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Lynda popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 119 since 1941.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,619 | 30 |
| 2020 | #5,769 | 21 |
| 2010 | #3,551 | 45 |
| 2000 | #1,931 | 88 |
| 1990 | #1,167 | 148 |
| 1980 | #596 | 312 |
| 1970 | #319 | 849 |
| 1960 | #183 | 2,122 |
| 1950 | #107 | 3,300 |
| 1940 | #165 | 1,267 |
| 1930 | #1,448 | 29 |
| 1920 | #2,043 | 19 |
| 1910 | #2,308 | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Lynda, counting every spelling?
Lynda is a spelling of Linda, a name family that ranked #825 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,619 for Lynda on its own. Together these spellings went to 324 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linda | 294 | #902 | 1,622 |
| Lynda | 30 | #4,619 | 118 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Lynda?
30 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lynda (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lynda born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 280 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lynda.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lynda?
About 57,100 people born in the US named Lynda are alive today, with a median age of 71; half are between 62 and 78. That makes Lynda a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Lynda by state
How common Lynda was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lynda: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lynda, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Lynda
What does Lynda mean?
Lynda is a spelling of Linda, which means “gentle, tender (Germanic)” (Germanic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lynda?
Lynda was the 4619th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 30 babies. Its best year was 1947, when it ranked 77th with 4,840 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 423 places. More babies were named Lynda in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Lynda a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lynda in the US.
Where is Lynda most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lynda was most common in Pennsylvania (0.02 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and California.