Linden is a tree name, the English word for the "lime tree" or "linden tree", from the Old English lind; the tree was sacred in Germanic folklore and its soft wood was carved into shields. The name shares its first syllable with Lincoln and Landon, which helps it sound like a given name. In the United States Linden ranked number 5212 in 2000 and has slowly risen to number 1415 in 2025, the best rank it has recorded.