Berlinda
A modern invented name derived from German elements meaning "bright, brilliant linden tree".
Name Census estimates that about 757 living Americans carry the first name Berlinda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Berlinda today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Berlinda births was 1961 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Berlinda. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
757
~ 1 in 452,780 Americans
Peak year
1961
47 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2006 SSA rank
#15,426
Tracked since 1934
Census
Berlinda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 952 people with the first name Berlinda, which placed it at #12,871 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,871
National first-name rank
People counted
952
952 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
43.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berlinda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Berlinda is Black at 43.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (34.9%) and White (7.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Berlinda described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Berlinda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American43.1% · 410
- Hispanic or Latino34.9% · 332
- White7.8% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.5% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.7% · 54
- Two or more races2.1% · 20
Popularity
Berlinda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Berlinda from the 1930s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 301 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Berlinda by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Berlinda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Berlindas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, New Mexico recorded the most babies named Berlinda, while New York, Arizona, New Mexico recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 24 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Berlinda
The name Berlinda has its origins in the Germanic languages, specifically in the Old High German word "bera" meaning "bear" and the suffix "-linda" which was a common feminine name ending. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a woman with a strong, bear-like presence or character.
The earliest recorded use of the name Berlinda dates back to the 9th century in the Frankish Empire, which covered large parts of present-day Germany, France, and Italy. During this period, the name was relatively uncommon but can be found in several historical documents and records from monasteries and noble families.
One of the earliest known references to the name Berlinda is in the Annales Fuldenses, a medieval chronicle written by monks at the Fulda Abbey in present-day Germany. The chronicle mentions a noblewoman named Berlinda who lived in the late 9th century and was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership.
In the 11th century, a woman named Berlinda is recorded as being a member of the royal court of King Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire. She is mentioned in several historical accounts as a trusted advisor and confidante of the king.
During the Middle Ages, the name Berlinda was occasionally used by noble families in various parts of Europe, but it remained relatively uncommon compared to other Germanic names of the time.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Berlinda was a 12th-century abbess of the Quedlinburg Abbey in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Berlinda von Quedlinburg (c. 1115 - 1198) was highly regarded for her leadership and charitable works, and she is credited with overseeing the construction of several important buildings within the abbey complex.
Another notable Berlinda was a 14th-century noblewoman from the Netherlands, Berlinda van Cuijk (c. 1320 - 1380). She was a member of the powerful House of Cuijk and played a significant role in the political and cultural affairs of the region during her lifetime.
In the 16th century, a woman named Berlinda Tübingen (c. 1530 - 1590) was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation in Germany. She was a close associate of the reformer Martin Luther and was known for her efforts in promoting education and literacy among women.
While the name Berlinda has remained relatively rare throughout history, it has been used sporadically by families across various regions of Europe, particularly in German-speaking areas. Despite its obscurity, the name carries a rich historical legacy rooted in the Germanic cultural traditions of medieval Europe.
People
Berlinda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Berlinda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Berlinda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Berlinda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 757 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Berlinda going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 452,780 US residents.
Is Berlinda a common name?
We classify Berlinda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 960 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Berlinda most popular?
The single biggest year for Berlinda was 1961, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Berlinda is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Berlinda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 952 people with the name Berlinda, or 0.32 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,871 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Berlinda in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Berlinda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Berlinda appears almost entirely female. Of the 952 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Berlinda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Berlinda is Black at 43.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (34.9%) and White (7.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Berlinda most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Berlinda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.1% (410 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Berlinda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Berlinda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Berlinda in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Berlinda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Berlinda in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Berlinda can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Berlinda?
Want to know how many people share the name Berlinda? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.