Linda (given name)

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Linda
Beowulf - lind.jpg
An ancient word 'lind,' which stands for a shield made of linden tree
GenderFemale
Origin
Language(s)German
Other names
Related namesLinde, Dietlinde, Sieglinde

Linda is a female given name, of German origin, but widespread in the English-speaking world since the end of the nineteenth century.[1] The German name Linde was originally an abbreviated form of older names such as Dietlinde and Sieglinde.[2] In the form Linda it was used by the writer Jean Paul for a leading character in his four-volume novel Titan, published 1800–1803, and it became popular in German-speaking countries thereafter.[2]

The name-element Linde is possibly derived from the same root as the linden tree, with reference to a shield made of that wood,[2] but may have become associated with Germanic lind meaning "soft, tender", the image of the tree being used to indicate a gentle personality. Subsequent support for its appeal may have come from the neo-Latin language (Italian, Spanish or Portuguese) word linda, which is the feminine form of lindo, meaning "beautiful, pretty, cute" (Spanish and Portuguese) and "clean" (Italian). It is also a common name in South Africa, Linda, meaning "Wait"(IsiZulu and IsiXhosa).

Among other names in use in English-speaking countries that include the -linda suffix are Melinda, Belinda, Celinda, and Rosalinda.

The name days for Linda are on February 13 (Hungary, Poland), April 15 (Finland/Germany), June 19 (Switzerland), June 20 (Sweden), August 21 (Latvia), September 1 (Czech Republic), September 2 (Slovakia), and September 4 (Poland).

In the Albanian version, Linda is a feminine name which means "birth" or "fertility". The masculine form is Lind.[3] In South African terms the name Linda means "wait" and is not gender based; similar names are Lindiwe also meaning "waited for" but often just written as Lindi in short.[clarification needed] Lindokuhle (waiting for something beautiful) and its short form Lindo are related South African-American names.

Notable people[]

Fictional characters[]

  • Linda, a character in the 2009 American comedy film The Hangover
  • Linda Belcher, wife of Bob Belcher in animated comedy Bob's Burgers
  • Supergirl (Linda Danvers)
  • Linda (Estonian mythology), in the Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg, mother of the main hero, wife of Kalev
  • Linda Flynn-Fletcher, the mother in the American animated series Phineas and Ferb
  • Linda Gergenblatt, a character played Jennifer Aniston by in the 2012 American comedy movie Wanderlust
  • Linda Melinda, the main protagonist in video game DreadOut
  • Linda Radlett in The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
  • Linda (Sesame Street), on the children's program Sesame Street
  • Linda Twist, in the Australian television series Round the Twist
  • Linda Woodward in The Three Clerks by Anthony Trollope
  • Linda, mentioned by Henry in video game Bendy and the Ink Machine

References[]

  1. ^ Withycombe, E. G. (1977). The Concise Dictionary of English Christian Names (third ed.). Oxford University Press.
  2. ^ a b c Drosdowski, Günther (1974). Lexicon der Vornamen (second ed.). Duden.
  3. ^ "Libri i emrave shqiptar". www.trepca.net. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
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