Why Linda Lives Forever in Baby Name History

How often do you think of Linda?

Not as often as I do, I’ll bet. It’s a relic as far as feminine baby names go.

A few years ago, I learned of a club for Lindas. I saw a photograph of a recent club gathering, a gaggle of Lindas in matching shirts posed at a Rainforest Cafe, on their website. I thought “Good grief, they’re all old.”

Oof. I’d fit right in.

I didn’t like my name when young. I wanted to be named Belinda instead, or maybe Melinda, like Melanie, who sang about her new roller skates. Linda sounded so plain. My middle name, Kay, didn’t help much.

Unfortunately, names date us. Just look at what happened to poor Karen, a name that peaked at the same time as Linda. As I worked on my novel manuscript, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, a keen editor pointed out that many of the names I used in the story, such as Myrna and Faye, were outdated for contemporary characters. That led me to research popular names for characters of different generations. It was fun, and enlightening, too.

There are no Lindas in my novel.

But Linda knocked out Mary

Linda will live forever in baby name history for toppling Mary from its 400-year reign as Number 1. At the peak of its usage in 1948, 5.5% of baby girls were named Linda.

The name has been around for centuries. In Germany, Linda is derived from the Germanic element “lind,” which means “tender.” In Spanish and Portuguese languages, Linda means “beautiful.” Linda is also popular in Nordic languages, including Swedish, Finnish, and Estonian.

The Beatles Connection

In the United States, the popularity of the name skyrocketed after the 1947 hit song “Linda.” Songwriter Jack Lawrence wrote the name into a song after his attorney, Lee Eastman, asked him to use his baby daughter’s name. Eastman practiced entertainment law in New York; among his famous clients were Harold Arlen, Tommy Dorsey, Willem de Kooning, Jack Lawrence, and Mark Rothko. His daughter was born in 1941.

Lawrence’s song “Linda” was recorded by Buddy Clark in 1947 and went to No. 2 on the Billboard Best Sellers chart. In 1963, duo Jan and Dean also recorded it.

That attorney’s baby girl, Linda Eastman, grew up to marry Beatle Paul McCartney.

Linda goes Viral

And don’t forget the video of the little boy who tries to explain to his mother, Linda, why he asked his grandma for a cupcake. Linda, Linda, Linda, you’re not listening…

Famous Lindas:

The list of famous Lindas include singer Linda Ronstadt, actress Linda Evans, singer Linda Perry, actress Linda Hunt who plays “Hetty Lange” on NCIS, actress Linda Gray who played the bed hopping wife of “J.R. Ewing” on Dallas, actress Linda Hamilton aka Sarah Connor in Terminator, and more.

Considering Linda’s history and trivia, it’s a badass name.

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Thank you for visiting.
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist
BUY BOOKS: In the Context of Love | Gordy and the Ghost Crab | Sleepwalker
New novel,  Love and Other Incurable Ailments, coming fall 2026 from Regal House Publishing
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