Fun Facts About the Name Linh
- More than 1 thousand babies named Linh: U.S. records list 1,732 babies given the name Linh from 1880 through 2025. Even 213 boys received the name Linh - about 1 boy for every 7 girls.
What Does the Name Linh Mean?
Linh is a Vietnamese given name meaning "spirit," "soul," or "sacred, divine." It is the Sino-Vietnamese reading of the Chinese character 靈 (líng), whose senses include spirit, soul, numinous power, and efficacy. In Vietnamese the word survives chiefly in set phrases such as linh hồn (soul) and linh thiêng (sacred, holy), which is the sense usually intended in the name.
Because Vietnamese is written in a Latin alphabet that records sound rather than meaning, one spelling can cover several Chinese-derived words pronounced alike. Besides 靈, a name written Linh may represent 玲 (líng, "the tinkling of jade"), a character common in girls' names, or 鈴 (líng, "bell"). The romanized form alone does not show which word was chosen, so the "spirit" sense is the usual explanation rather than a certainty for every bearer. The name is also separate from lính (soldier), a different word kept apart in writing by its tone mark.
Linh Name History & Origins
Vietnam absorbed a large body of Chinese vocabulary during the centuries of Chinese administration and the later Confucian examination system, and this Sino-Vietnamese layer supplied many given names. Linh belongs to that layer: it is the Vietnamese reading of 靈, and related words include linh mục (priest) and linh cảm (a flash of intuition). Names taken from this stratum carry a formal, literary tone rather than the plainness of everyday speech.
Vietnamese names were long written in Chinese characters and in the older native script chữ Nôm; the romanized form Linh belongs to chữ Quốc ngữ, the Latin alphabet developed by Catholic missionaries in the 17th century and made standard in the 20th. Since linh has the level tone, its romanized spelling needs no diacritic, though most other Vietnamese names do.
Linh serves as a given name for both sexes, more often for women. It can stand alone or appear as the second element of a compound given name, as in Bảo Linh, Khánh Linh, Mai Linh, Thùy Linh, Phương Linh and Ngọc Linh. A notable male bearer was Nguyễn Văn Linh (1915 - 1998), general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1986 to 1991. The name is unrelated to the English surname Lynn or the Chinese surname Lin (林, "forest"), which resemble it only in spelling.
How Popular is the Name Linh?
Linh has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1984. Its best rank was #1,714 in 1984.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,008 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2024 | #8,201 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2023 | #16,597 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #8,309 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #7,859 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #7,420 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #8,882 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #6,156 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2017 | #8,109 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #7,456 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #9,271 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #5,106 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2013 | #6,387 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2012 | #4,917 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2011 | #6,056 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2010 | #10,196 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #7,549 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2008 | #6,269 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2007 | #5,322 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2006 | #5,643 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2005 | #7,353 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #5,877 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2003 | #5,036 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2002 | #6,561 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #5,104 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2000 | #4,609 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1999 | #3,683 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1998 | #3,983 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1997 | #3,200 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1996 | #2,877 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 1995 | #2,864 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 1994 | #2,915 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1993 | #2,751 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 1992 | #2,595 | 48 | 0.0026% |
| 1991 | #2,149 | 62 | 0.0033% |
| 1990 | #2,775 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 1989 | #2,324 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 1988 | #2,471 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1987 | #1,825 | 64 | 0.0037% |
| 1986 | #1,943 | 57 | 0.0033% |
| 1985 | #1,824 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 1984 | #1,714 | 64 | 0.0038% |
| 1983 | #1,764 | 61 | 0.0037% |
| 1982 | #1,796 | 61 | 0.0036% |
| 1981 | #1,974 | 54 | 0.0032% |
| 1980 | #2,416 | 40 | 0.0024% |
| 1979 | #3,289 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 1978 | #4,569 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #5,387 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1976 | #8,743 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #8,594 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | #5,753 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #7,446 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #9,595 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #5,939 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #3,565 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1990 | #5,637 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #5,429 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #4,072 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #4,133 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #4,024 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #4,550 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #2,268 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1983 | #3,168 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1982 | #2,658 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1981 | #2,173 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1980 | #4,364 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #5,501 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #6,128 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #5,967 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Linh Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You always bring to completion anything you start. You are generous but like to see returns from your giving. You have an executive ability, you are a leader. You are moral, balanced, honest and intellectual, and you may attain spirituality. You are wise and practical with an appreciation of beauty. You always think before you act. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Linh's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Linh's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.