Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Thoughts on Linda

181 replies

17caterpillars1mouse · 26/12/2025 14:04

Yes its a bit dated, but i find it refreshing and at least she'd almost certainly be the only one in her class. Maybe Lindy as an affectionate shortening. Thoughts?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Talltreesbythelake · 26/12/2025 16:30

Pranksters · 26/12/2025 15:41

Nooooo it’s so ugly! Don’t do this to your child.

It's not ugly at all, it actually means pretty in Spanish. It's a name of a dear member of my family so it sounds fab to me. I love the idea of another generation of tiny Lindas running around, being menaces. I met a tiny girl called Olive the other day and had a quiet cringe to myself, but the fashions are changing and I will adapt.

RosesAndHellebores · 26/12/2025 16:28

It has a hard sound to it and whatever the accent, I don't see how that can be avoided. In my head I hear Bianca from Eastenders screeching "Ricckeeeee" but "Lindaaaaaah"

IMissTheLittleBluePackets · 26/12/2025 16:26

ResusciAnnie · 26/12/2025 14:19

Lucinda on the other hand would be a big yes from me.

Good shout!

HilaryThorpe · 26/12/2025 16:22

What about Linden?

ItsmeMargo · 26/12/2025 16:11

I do sometimes think the way names look on paper is what puts me off, but the actual pronunciation isn’t so bad.

Does anybody know what I mean?

sometimes names look pretty written down, but the actual sound isn’t so great. Like Phoebe. I think it looks nice written down, but the actual phonetic sound.- Feebee- Isn’t great IMO. I honestly think that if Phoebe was spelt Feebee, then less people would use it as a name.

Linda sounds rather nice. Probably helps that the only Lindas I’ve ever known have been lovely people.

Pranksters · 26/12/2025 15:41

Nooooo it’s so ugly! Don’t do this to your child.

SunnieShine · 26/12/2025 14:39

I love Linda.

Sprig1 · 26/12/2025 14:38

Awful.

modgepodge · 26/12/2025 14:33

I met a Belinda the other day, must have been in her 30s! Never met one before, thought it was firmly stuck in Enid Blyton books.

Linda was an extremely popular name in the 50/60s, to me it sounds very dated. I have a friend (late 50s) and we call her Linny which I think is nicer.

roshi42 · 26/12/2025 14:21

It’s actually such a lovely sound, isn’t it? Lin Dah. Lindy is super super cute. And why shouldn’t Linda be a nice name given people love Linnet etc. But it does suffer from just sounding so 70s. And not in a popular again way. Yet! These names will come back, as the early century ones have. You’d just be ahead of the curve. So depends how much you care if people initially raise an eyebrow and then realise it’s nice. Nothing actually wrong with it!

nb. It’s similar to how Linet is gorgeous and fresh and modern but Lynette is retro and dated and not so classy. But they’re the same sound!

ResusciAnnie · 26/12/2025 14:19

Lucinda on the other hand would be a big yes from me.

SollozzoMightNotBeInTheCarSonny · 26/12/2025 14:18

I’d just call her Lindy. It’s much nicer than Linda imo.

Lasnailinthecoffin · 26/12/2025 14:17

My neighbour is from South Africa and is called Lindie. I think it's a lovely name.

ResusciAnnie · 26/12/2025 14:17

I’m 36, had a Linda in my class at school and even as a kid I thought that was dated.

I know Rita and Pamela and Wendy are coming back in but I think we need another 10 years before Linda and the likes (Sharon, Cheryl etc) are back.

Obviously if you like it do it, and I assume you’re looking for something that’s not ‘in’ anyway?

nameobsessed · 26/12/2025 14:16

I LOVE Lindy. I’ve never heard of/met anyone in the uk with it but a lovely American family I nannied for had a Lindy who was an angel.

Linda to me is still very dated and doesn’t have a nice sound.

Cando6 · 26/12/2025 14:15

I’ve always loved Linda. And Lindsay. And Lynne.
Belinda? Not so fond but it’s an option for Lindy.
People are often not capable of reacting to a resurrected name without thinking of the middle aged people that come to mind. But by the time your Linda is 18 it’s about that time those generation of names will start making a comeback. It’s a fascinating subject. I gave two of mine names that surprised people at the time but they’re adults now and the names come up on these threads as fresh and new.

Someone had to have the first modern Theo and Noah and Stanley. Do it!

bleakmidwintering · 26/12/2025 14:14

From personal experience I never liked my own name. It was a working class name in the 60s and it still is now.

OctopusFriend · 26/12/2025 14:14

Linda is nice, you'd be ahead of the curve!
All names come round again, with very rare exceptions.
She'll be the only one in her class. Make her different from all the Wrens and Margots.

BCBird · 26/12/2025 14:13

IMissTheLittleBluePackets · 26/12/2025 14:11

Belinda maybe? You've the choice of Bel then.

Like this idea

Comedycook · 26/12/2025 14:13

We're not there yet op

BahMinthumbug · 26/12/2025 14:12

Melinda but Mel isn't great nn.

HarryVanderspeigle · 26/12/2025 14:12

Lindy is cute. Linda would be unusual, but someone ha to go first to bring names back. If it is revival names you are after, I love Susan.

IMissTheLittleBluePackets · 26/12/2025 14:11

Belinda maybe? You've the choice of Bel then.

BCBird · 26/12/2025 14:09

It is dated. I would not saddle a child with this name.

LarryUnderwood · 26/12/2025 14:09

It'll be back in a generation or two, alongside Doreen and Barbara etc. For now, it's a bit too close - her peers' grandmas will be called Linda. Like for my generation naming a baby Ethel would have been unthinkable and now you can't move for Ethels, Peggys and Mabels.