Belinda

Belinda, cousin of Linda and Melinda, is not used much these days despite an impressive history. In Babylonian mythology Belinda was the goddess of heaven and earth, and the name later was used for the heroine of Alexander Pope's satirical poem The Rape of the Lock.

One of Belinda's meanings is 'beautiful snake' (coined at a time when snakes were a sacred symbol of wisdom and immortality) and it still does seem to have a certain lingering serpentine charm.

Belinda entered the US popularity lists in 1940, and went on to reach Number 142 in 1961. Both Maria Edgeworth and Anne Rice wrote eponymous novels called Belinda.

Belinda Carlisle was the lead vocalist in "The Go-Go's."