UK girl's name
Lina
A feminine given name of Teutonic origin meaning "tender" or "soft".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Lina is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Lina popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #287, with 156 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 156 births.
This profile covers 2,119 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Lina is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 2,189 living people in the UK are called Lina. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Lina ranked #287 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 156 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 156 girls were registered as Lina.
- • Lina ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #275 in 2024.
- • About 2,189 living people in the UK are estimated to have Lina as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#287
2024
Births in 2024
156
Latest year
Peak year
2024
156 births
Estimated living
2,189
2026
Meaning
What does Lina mean?
The name Lina has its origins in the Latin language and culture, dating back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin word "linum," which means "flax" or "linen." The name was likely given to girls born in families involved in the production or trade of linen fabrics.
During the Roman era, the name Lina was a diminutive form of the feminine name Lina, which itself was a shortened version of longer names like Lina or Linaria. It was a popular name among Roman women, particularly those from the lower and middle classes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lina can be found in the writings of the Roman poet Ovid, who lived from 43 BC to 17 AD. In his work "Metamorphoses," he mentions a character named Lina, though it is unclear if this was a real person or a fictional character.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Lina. One of the most famous was Lina Cavalieri (1874-1944), an Italian opera singer and actress who was renowned for her beauty and talent. She performed in major opera houses across Europe and starred in several silent films during the early 20th century.
Another prominent figure was Lina Radke (1903-1983), a German athlete who won a gold medal in the javelin throw at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. She held the world record in her event for several years and was a pioneering figure in women's athletics.
In the realm of literature, Lina Kostenko (born 1930) is a celebrated Ukrainian poet and writer who has won numerous awards for her work, including the Shevchenko National Prize, Ukraine's highest honor for literature.
Lina Cavalieri (1874-1944) was an Italian opera singer and actress, renowned for her beauty and talent. She performed in major opera houses across Europe and starred in several silent films during the early 20th century.
Lina Radke (1903-1983) was a German athlete who won a gold medal in the javelin throw at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. She held the world record in her event for several years and was a pioneering figure in women's athletics.
While the name Lina has its roots in ancient Roman culture, it has endured and been embraced by various cultures and societies throughout history, with notable bearers of the name leaving their mark in fields as diverse as sports, literature, and the performing arts.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Lina over time
The chart below shows babies named Lina registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Lina, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 156 births in 2024, compared with 156 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lina by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Lina was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #328 | 691 | 5 |
| 2010s | #531 | 814 | 10 |
| 2000s | #641 | 507 | 10 |
| 1990s | #837 | 107 | 4 |
Geography
Where Lina is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Lina. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Lina ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #275 in 2024.
Across the UK
Lina in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#275 in 2024
15 years of NRS records, 78 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#418 in 2022
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Lina
-
Lina Touzani
association football player
Dutch association football player
2008-
-
Lina Nielsen
athletics competitor
British sprinter
1996-
-
Lina M. Khan
lawyer; legal scholar
American legal scholar and jurist (born 1989)
1989-
-
Lina Jones
interpreter; sport shooter
British sport shooter
1968-
-
Lina Gopaul
film producer
British film producer
1959-
-
Lina Naomi Lowy
suffragette
British suffragette
1889-1939
-
Lina Eckenstein
writer
German-British polymath and historian
1857-1931
-
Lina Theodora Schmitz
writer; translator
British translator
1844-1926
Related
Names similar to Lina
- Lily 72,956
- Lucy 70,663
- Lauren 50,664
- Leah 33,185
- Lola 24,525
- Layla 24,520
- Laura 23,471
- Lilly 21,714
- Lydia 18,353
- Libby 14,515
- Lara 13,415
- Lacey 13,406
FAQ
Lina: questions and answers
How popular is the name Lina in the UK right now?
In 2024, Lina was ranked #287 for girls in England and Wales, with 156 births registered.
When was Lina most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 156 babies registered as Lina in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Lina?
A feminine given name of Teutonic origin meaning "tender" or "soft".
How many people are called Lina in the UK?
A total of 2,119 babies have been registered as Lina across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 78 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Lina most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Lina ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #275 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.