Lina
- Pronunciation
- [Li-na]
- Gender
- Female
- Meaning
- Light
- Origin
- Romanian
About the Name Lina
Lina is a graceful, internationally beloved name with roots reaching across many cultures; in this tradition it is understood to mean "light." Short, soft, and easy to say in almost any language, it has long served both as a name in its own right and as an affectionate short form of longer names ending in -lina or -lena. That versatility has helped it feel at home from Europe to the Middle East to the Americas, a truly border-crossing name with a luminous core meaning.
The name's bright meaning and gentle two-syllable shape give it a timeless, understated elegance. It manages to be both classic and current, familiar yet a little unexpected, and its simplicity makes it pair beautifully with surnames of every kind. Recorded variants include Lena and Lynn, each offering a slightly different texture while keeping the same airy simplicity that defines the name's appeal.
Lina first entered the US Social Security top-1000 in 2001 and has climbed steadily since, reaching its peak in 2024 at rank #567 — its strongest showing yet, with 530 girls given the name that year. It stood at #584 in 2023 and #581 in 2022, and across its run it has been given to roughly 8,185 girls. That rising trajectory marks Lina as a name very much in ascent, prized for its quiet beauty and global ease.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.
Quick Facts About Lina
US Popularity History (2001–2025)
Annual US births named Lina by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 2024 with 530 girls named Lina (girl rank #567 that year).
Where it stands today: in 2025, ranked #572 for girls (527 US births). That's 5 places below its 2024 peak.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Limitations: US birth-certificate data only; names appearing fewer than 5 times in a given year are suppressed for privacy; spelling variants are counted separately. For names that ranked outside the US top 100 before year 2000, only the years they reached the top 100 are shown — the chart may have gaps for less-popular historical names.
Paste the snippet below on any HTML page. Includes a credit link back to 9BabyNames — please keep it intact.
Where in the US Is Lina Most Popular?
Average girl-name rank within each state across 2016–2025 SSA records. A lower number means the name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name rankings — a per-capita measure that isn't biased toward large states. For Lina the strongest states are Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York.
Strongest girls-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | #360 | 156 |
| 2 | Connecticut | #365 | 63 |
| 3 | New York | #414 | 394 |
| 4 | New Jersey | #434 | 185 |
| 5 | California | #522 | 632 |
| 6 | Virginia | #570 | 139 |
| 7 | Oregon | #571 | 26 |
| 8 | Florida | #581 | 278 |
| 9 | Maryland | #626 | 82 |
| 10 | Washington | #649 | 101 |
Weakest girls-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | #920 | 32 |
| 2 | Indiana | #888 | 29 |
| 3 | North Carolina | #782 | 87 |
| 4 | Arizona | #761 | 62 |
| 5 | Illinois | #739 | 136 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | #715 | 132 |
| 7 | Texas | #707 | 412 |
| 8 | Minnesota | #703 | 38 |
| 9 | Ohio | #702 | 118 |
| 10 | Michigan | #684 | 77 |
Source: SSA state-level baby-name dataset 2016–2025. States with fewer than 3 years of data for Lina in this window are excluded. Births < 5 in a given state-year are suppressed by SSA for privacy.
Variant Forms
Looking for names like Lina?
A dedicated page with 60+ related names — spelling variants, rhymes, alliterations, same-origin matches, and shared meaning concepts — lives at its own URL so each kind of similarity gets a deeper treatment than fits here.
Compare Lina to Other Popular Names
Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Lina against today's most popular girls-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).
Lina Baby Name Ideas
- How Close Is Too Close for Cousin Names? A Practical Similarity Test for Extended Families
- The Last-Name-First Test: Choosing a Baby Name That Stays Clear on Rosters and Forms
- How to Test Whether a Baby Name Will Be Misheard in Daily Life
- Should Sibling Names Share an Initial? Building a Set That Stays Distinct in Daily Life
- Tomato Girl Summer Baby Names: Sun-Warmed Picks from the Mediterranean Coast
- Outer Banks-Inspired Baby Names: Pogues, Kooks & Coastal Carolina Picks
- Mob Wife Aesthetic Baby Names: Bold, Glamorous, and Unapologetically Italian
- Balletcore Baby Names: Tulle, Ribbon & the Grace of the Barre
- Hamilton-Inspired Baby Names: Founding-Era Names with a Broadway Encore
- Preppy Baby Names: Crisp, Classic, and Country-Club Cool
- Top 100 Baby Names in Mexico and Their Meanings
- Luminous Baby Names Meaning Light: Illuminating the Path for Your Little One
- Gilmore Girls-Inspired Names for Fall Babies
- Top Celebrity Baby Girl Names
- 70 Energy Baby Names for Boys and Girls: Names That Spark Strength and Vitality
- Argentinian Baby Names: A Celebration of Culture, History, and Nature
- Aboriginal Baby Names: Meaningful Names Inspired by Australian Indigenous Culture
- Rare Southern Boy and Girl Names: A Blend of Charm and Heritage
- Colombian Names: A Rich Blend of Tradition, Culture, and Heritage
- Puerto Rican Baby Names: Boy Names and Girl Names Inspired by Puerto Rican Heritage