Lina is a short form of names ending in -lina, such as Carolina, Angelina and Paulina, and is used as an independent name across Europe; in Arabic it is a separate name explained as "tender" or "palm tree". Its two syllables make it a natural sister to Nina, Mina and Lena. In the United States Lina ranked number 1136 in 2000, entered the top 1000 in 2001 and has risen slowly to number 572 among girls' names in 2025.