Name Story within a Name Story (Linden)

This letter was printed in the San Francisco Chronicle in mid-2005:

I am a physician at the South San Francisco Kaiser Medical Center. I read Kathleen Pender’s column about Steven Levitt’s book “Freakonomics” (“Evolution of names for kids,” Net Worth, July 31).

When I started working here in 1980, the assistant manager of the medical department was named Linden. We became friends and she told me the story behind her name went back to post-World War II Berlin. Her mother saw the linden trees in bloom in the spring on Unterdenlindenstrasse. They were so beautiful, she said if she ever had a daughter she would name her Linden. This Linden was born in the early 1950s.

Enchanted by this story, I decided if I ever had a daughter, I would name her Linden. My Linden was born in 1987. I had never heard of any other Lindens until learning it was a “high-end” name in this article. What a shock! In fact, it was the very sort of thing my husband and I were hoping to avoid in naming our children. Oh well, so much for good intentions.

Christine Angeles

I agree with Christine–the linden tree story really is enchanting.

I do hope she cleared baby Linden’s name with assistant manager Linden, though. Just out of respect for the original owner.

Source: “Letters to Business.” San Francisco Chronicle 7 Aug. 2005.