 In the form "Linda" it was used by the writer Jean Paul for a leading character in his four-volume novel "Titan", published 1800–1803, and it became popular in German-speaking countries thereafter.The name-element "Linde" is possibly derived from the same root as the linden tree, with reference to a shield made of that wood, but may have become associated with Germanic "lind" meaning "soft, tender", the image of the tree being used to indicate a gentle personality.Alternatively, "Linde" may represent Old German "Lindi" or "Linda", meaning a serpent.