Total births
1,455,143
Girls' name · since 1880
Linda
Linda has 1,455,143 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #836
- among girls today
- 1,455,143
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Linda currently ranks #836 among girls' names in America, with 1,455,143 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Linda has been recorded 1,455,143 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #836 nationally and more common than 95% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #836 among girls today
- 1,455,143 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Linda is currently the #836 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 1,455,143 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #836
- among girls today
- 1,455,143
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Linda vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#836
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
39% of everyone ever named Linda was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
99,692 babies were named Linda in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Linda compares
1,455,143 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Linda's all-time total is 3,809x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Linda | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,455,143 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 99,692 | 48 | 19,840 |
Linda's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Linda's full recorded timeline at 1953, 46% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 54% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 27 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1947 peak of 99,692 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Linda at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1947
Current rank
#836
Active since
1880
Linda popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 99,692
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Linda popularity over time - boys
3,756 total births recorded since 1925 (Linda as boys' name)
Linda by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Linda's strongest decade.
564,364 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Linda births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 493
1880s
493 births
- 1890s 872
1890s
872 births
- 1900s 996
1900s
996 births
- 1910s 2,395
1910s
2,395 births
- 1920s 4,455
1920s
4,455 births
- 1930s 29,358
1930s
29,358 births
- 1940s
1940s
531,660 births
- 1950s
1950s
564,364 births
- 1960s 225,454
1960s
225,454 births
- 1970s 45,900
1970s
45,900 births
- 1980s 22,819
1980s
22,819 births
- 1990s 12,815
1990s
12,815 births
- 2000s 7,220
2000s
7,220 births
- 2010s 4,386
2010s
4,386 births
- 2020s 1,956
2020s
1,956 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 564,364 births (39% of all-time use).
How Linda compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Linda's total volume
Linda vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Linda by state
Where Linda concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 114,963 | 7.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 114,109 | 7.8% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 89,088 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Texas | | 84,058 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 79,389 | 5.5% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 78,467 | 5.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 64,393 | 4.4% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 44,003 | 3.0% |
California share of Linda's total US births 7.9%
Even split
114,963 of 1,455,143 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Linda appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Linda? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 1,455,143 babies named Linda. Today it holds rank #836 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1947, with 99,692 births.
When was Linda most popular? ▼
Linda was most popular in the 1950s decade with 564,364 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Linda most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Linda are California (114,963 births), New York (114,109 births), Pennsylvania (89,088 births).
How long has the name Linda been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Linda since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Linda? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lindsey, Lindsay, Lina, Linnea, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Linda's data
- Linda's decade-level peak was the 1950s (564,364 total births); usage has since declined to 1,956 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Lindas (114,963 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Linda
Nearby Names Like Linda
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Linda
Lindsey Girl
#1284 157,551 births
Lindsay Girl
#1984 130,365 births
Lina Girl
#565 19,489 births
Linnea Girl
#1601 9,944 births
Lindy Girl
#1926 8,896 births
Compare Linda side by side: Linda vs Lindsey Linda vs Lindsay Linda vs Lina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Linda
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Linda: #836 Girls' Name - 1,455,143 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/linda. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Linda draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.