Mina
Mina was the 597th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 491 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 175th; the most babies were born in 2023 (512). Over the last ten years it has moved up 169 places. More babies were named Mina in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning several origins (short for Wilhelmina; Arabic, Sanskrit) · German, Arabic, Sanskrit
Say it MEE-nuh /ˈminə/
- Rank in 2025
- #597 girls, up 64 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 491girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2023512 babies
- Total since 1880
- 19,939babies recorded
What does the name Mina mean?
Mina has several separate sources. In English and Northern European use it has long been a short form of names ending in -mina, especially Wilhelmina; Wiktionary gives this for Norwegian Mina. Wiktionary also records Mina as a girls' name borrowed from Arabic mīnā and Sanskrit mīnā, and a Romanian form of the Greek name Menas. Which meaning applies depends on the family's language, so no single gloss fits. Wilhelmina itself is a feminine of Wilhelm, the German William, which DMNES explains as "will" plus "helmet." Mina has been used in the US since the 1880s.
Wilhelmina (German/Dutch, “feminine of Wilhelm (William)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several unrelated origins; the Arabic and Sanskrit glosses are not given by Wiktionary, so we do not supply them.
Related names: Wilhelmina, Minnie, Meena, Minna.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mina' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mina' (Norwegian section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'William', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Mina popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 672 since 1980, 15 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #597 | 491 |
| 2020 | #661 | 435 |
| 2010 | #964 | 266 |
| 2000 | #1,147 | 178 |
| 1990 | #2,092 | 63 |
| 1980 | #1,899 | 57 |
| 1970 | #2,188 | 37 |
| 1960 | #1,612 | 49 |
| 1950 | #1,267 | 53 |
| 1940 | #779 | 83 |
| 1930 | #656 | 110 |
| 1920 | #601 | 143 |
| 1910 | #483 | 71 |
| 1900 | #351 | 92 |
| 1890 | #259 | 95 |
| 1880 | #175 | 73 |
How popular is Mina, counting every spelling?
Mina is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #547 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #597 for Mina on its own. Together these spellings went to 551 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mina | 491 | #597 | 2,492 |
| Minna | 29 | #4,722 | 140 |
| Mena | 19 | #6,257 | 104 |
| Minah | 12 | #8,697 | 61 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Mina?
491 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Mina (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Mina 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 17 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Mina.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Mina?
About 12,900 people born in the US named Mina are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 7 and 30. That makes Mina mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Mina by state
How common Mina was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Washington (2.3×), Minnesota (2.2×), Oregon (2.0×), California (1.8×), Virginia (1.7×). In 20 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 Mina: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Mina, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Mina · Sibling names for Mina
Questions about the name Mina
What does Mina mean?
Mina is usually explained as “several origins (short for Wilhelmina; Arabic, Sanskrit)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Mina?
Mina was the 597th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 491 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 175th; the most babies were born in 2023 (512). Over the last ten years it has moved up 169 places. More babies were named Mina in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Mina a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Mina in the US.
Where is Mina most popular?
In 2021–2025, Mina was most common in Hawaii (0.96 per 1,000 girls), followed by Washington and Minnesota.