Mildred
Mildred was the 1973rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 98 babies. Its best year was 1912, when it ranked 6th; the most babies were born in 1920 (18,060). Over the last ten years it has moved up 186 places. More babies were named Mildred in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning gentle strength · Old English
Say it MIL-drid /ˈmɪldɹɪd/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,973 girls, up 1 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 98girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192018,060 babies
- Total since 1880
- 452,998babies recorded
What does the name Mildred mean?
Mildred comes from Old English Mildþrȳþ, made of milde 'mild, gentle' and þrȳþ 'strength', the name of an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon abbess and saint, as DMNES and Wiktionary note. DMNES records it in English parish records of the 1570s. It was revived in the 19th century and was among the most common American girls' names around 1900-1920.
milde (Old English, “mild, gentle”)þrȳþ (Old English, “strength”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Millie, Milly, Mildreth.
See also: English names, names that mean strength.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mildred', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mildred', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Mildred
The usual nicknames for Mildred are Millie and Milly. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Mildred in the last five years, 2501 were named Millie, against 156 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millie · also for Amelia, Emilia, Emily | Traditional | #73 | 12,731 |
| Milly | Traditional | #1,790 | 570 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Mildreds go by each one.
Mildred popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,583 since 1889.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,973 | 98 |
| 2020 | #1,974 | 96 |
| 2010 | #2,632 | 69 |
| 2000 | #2,046 | 81 |
| 1990 | #1,441 | 109 |
| 1980 | #944 | 159 |
| 1970 | #454 | 482 |
| 1960 | #275 | 1,081 |
| 1950 | #135 | 2,296 |
| 1940 | #58 | 3,938 |
| 1930 | #21 | 9,356 |
| 1920 | #6 | 18,060 |
| 1910 | #8 | 5,692 |
| 1900 | #20 | 2,800 |
| 1890 | #71 | 635 |
| 1880 | #121 | 132 |
How popular is Mildred, counting every spelling?
Mildred has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Mildred?
98 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Mildred (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Mildred born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 85 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Mildred.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Mildred?
About 59,500 people born in the US named Mildred are alive today, with a median age of 78; half are between 68 and 86. That makes Mildred a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Mildred by state
How common Mildred was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 33 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Mildred: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Mildred, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Mildred · Sibling names for Mildred
Questions about the name Mildred
What does Mildred mean?
Mildred means “gentle strength” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Mildred?
Mildred was the 1973rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 98 babies. Its best year was 1912, when it ranked 6th; the most babies were born in 1920 (18,060). Over the last ten years it has moved up 186 places. More babies were named Mildred in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Mildred a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Mildred in the US.
Where is Mildred most popular?
In 2021–2025, Mildred was most common in Missouri (0.08 per 1,000 girls), followed by Tennessee and Pennsylvania.