Linda

Meanings

1. A female given name from the Germanic languages.
2. A census-designated place in Yuba County, California, United States.
3. A coordination language for parallel computing environments.

1. A surname from German.

Etymology

Latinised short form of Germanic compound names ending in -lind, -linde (“tender, soft”) (English -inda), such as Sieglinde and Dietlinde, and earlier names such as Old High German Irmilinda and Old Dutch Frithelind, from Proto-Germanic *linþaz (“gentle, mild”), whence also Old English līþe (“gentle, mild, pliable, limber”) (English lithe). Later misassociated with unrelated Spanish linda (“beautiful”). The name became known through 19th century literature and the opera Linda di Chamounix (1842). More at lithe. The coordination language is named after Linda Lovelace, a reference to the programming language Ada, itself named after Ada Lovelace.