UK boy's name
Linden
A masculine name derived from the linden tree.
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.
Linden is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Linden popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2263, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 25 births.
This profile covers 324 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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.
The latest count is about 40% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 325 living people in the UK are called Linden. 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
- • Linden ranked #2263 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 10 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 25 boys were registered as Linden.
- • Linden ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #669 in 2012.
- • About 325 living people in the UK are estimated to have Linden as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2263
2024
Births in 2024
10
Latest year
Peak year
2008
25 births
Estimated living
325
2026
Meaning
What does Linden mean?
The name Linden is of Germanic origin, derived from the Old High German word "lind" or "linta," meaning "lime tree" or "linden tree." Its roots can be traced back to the early medieval period in central Europe.
The linden tree held significant cultural and mythological importance for various Germanic tribes, who revered it as a sacred tree associated with fertility, love, and protection. In ancient Germanic folklore, the linden was believed to possess magical properties and was often used in rituals and ceremonies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Linden can be found in the Nibelungenlied, a renowned German epic poem from the 13th century. In this work, Linden appears as a character's name, indicating its usage during that era.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Linden. One such figure is Linden Lane (1905-1963), an American actress and singer who appeared in various Broadway productions and films during the 1930s and 1940s.
Another prominent individual named Linden was Linden Frederic (1858-1945), an American businessman and politician who served as the 27th Governor of Missouri from 1909 to 1913.
In the literary world, Linden Macintyre (born 1943) is a Canadian journalist and novelist known for his works exploring social and political issues, including the Giller Prize-winning novel "The Bishop's Man."
The name Linden has also been associated with the arts, as exemplified by Linden Wilkinson (1918-2005), an American painter and sculptor renowned for his abstract expressionist works.
Lastly, Linden Berkman (born 1935) is an American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence, particularly in the areas of knowledge representation and reasoning.
While the name Linden has its roots in ancient Germanic culture, it has transcended its origins and gained popularity across various regions and time periods, with individuals bearing this name leaving their mark in diverse fields throughout history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Linden over time
The chart below shows babies named Linden 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 Linden, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2024, compared with 25 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Linden by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Linden 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 | #2480 | 43 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1890 | 128 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1893 | 104 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1112 | 49 | 4 |
Geography
Where Linden is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Linden. 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.
Linden ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #669 in 2012.
Across the UK
Linden in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#669 in 2012
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Linden
- Luke 72,247
- Lewis 69,555
- Leo 63,249
- Liam 60,482
- Lucas 49,061
- Logan 40,771
- Louis 35,898
- Luca 30,323
- Louie 24,242
- Leon 22,308
- Levi 9,931
- Lee 7,861
FAQ
Linden: questions and answers
How popular is the name Linden in the UK right now?
In 2024, Linden was ranked #2263 for boys in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.
When was Linden most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 25 babies registered as Linden in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Linden?
A masculine name derived from the linden tree.
How many people are called Linden in the UK?
A total of 324 babies have been registered as Linden across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Linden most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Linden ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #669 in 2012. 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.