Belinda

Belinda is a feminine first name that was adopted from English in the 20th century and is primarily common in English-speaking countries. However, the exact origin and meaning of the name are not clearly defined.

What does the name Belinda mean?

The name Belinda could be understood as a modern short form of the Old German name Betlindis, which means 'a fair battle' or 'the radiant gentle one', 'the famous gentle one', or 'the bearer of the linden wood shield'. The first element comes either from the Old Germanic *badu meaning 'the battle' or the Old High German beraht meaning 'radiant', 'shining', and 'famous'. The second part is composed in Old High German from lind meaning 'mild', 'soft', 'gentle', or linta meaning 'the linden tree'. Alternatively, Belinda could also mean 'the beautiful one', 'the pretty one', or 'the good-looking one', although this interpretation likely applies less, as the name was used in this context only later. Another spelling is Belinde. In Kosovo, the name is pronounced as 'Berlinda'. In Germany, Belinda became popular in the 1960s through the English actress Belinda Lee and the hit 'Pretty Belinda'. The name first appeared in the 17th century and was later mentioned by the poet Alexander Pope in his work 'The Rape of the Lock'.

Where does the name Belinda come from?

Belinda has its roots in Old High German as well as in Old Italian and means 'a fair battle'. Additional roots lie in the Latin bellus (beautiful), the Old Italian bella (beautiful), and the Old Spanish linda (beautiful). The name is found in various languages such as Danish, German, English, Faroese, Icelandic, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, and Czech.

How do you pronounce Belinda?

Belinda has a soft flowing three-syllable sound. In German pronunciation, the name is usually pronounced as 'Be-lin-da' [beˈlɪnda] or [beˈliːnda]. It begins with a clear E sound, followed by a stressed middle syllable that brings brightness to the sound with the i sound. The consonant combination '-nd-' provides stability, while the open ending '-a' gently fades away. This gives Belinda a melodic and feminine, harmonious and balanced quality.

When is the name day of Belinda?

The name day for Belinda is celebrated on October 13.

Popularity

In Germany, the name Belinda enjoys great popularity and currently ranks 2,358th on the list of the most common female first names. Its best ranking was achieved in 1992 at 173rd place. In the last ten years, Belinda has been given as a first name about 130 times, securing it 2,079th place in the ten-year statistics. From 2010 to 2024, it ranks 1,949th.

Nicknames & pet names

Bebe / Bee / Bel / Bela / Bele / Beli / Belili / Belin / Belindi / Bell / Bella / Belli / Bellow / Billi / Billy / Bina / Binda / Bindi / Blinda / Lilla / Lin / Lina / Lind / Linda / Linde / Lindi / Lindl / Linny

Famous people

• Belinda Balaski (American actress)
• Belinda Bencic (* 1997), Swiss tennis player
• Belinda Braza (Norwegian singer)
• Belinda Carlisle (singer, artist)
• Belinda Castles (Australian writer)
• Belinda Chapple (singer from Australia)
• Belinda Cordwell (New Zealand tennis player)
• Belinda Effah (Nigerian actress)
• Belinda Giblin (Australian actress)
• Belinda Goss (British cyclist)
• Belinda Hamnett (Hong Kong actress)
• Belinda Hocking (Australian swimmer)
• Belinda Jones (British pianist)
• Belinda Lang (actress from Great Britain)
• Belinda Lee (actress)
• Belinda M'Boma (French basketball player)
• Belinda Mariano (actress from the Philippines)
• Belinda Mason (fictional character from El Puerto)
• Belinda Mayne (American actress)
• Belinda McClory (Australian actress)