Minna
Minna was the 4722nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 29 babies. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked 369th; the most babies were born in 1916 (54). Over the last ten years it has moved down 353 places. More babies were named Minna in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Mina) several origins (short for Wilhelmina; Arabic, Sanskrit) · German, Arabic, Sanskrit
- Rank in 2025
- #4,722 girls, down 390 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 29girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 191654 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,151babies recorded
What does the name Minna mean?
Minna is a spelling of Mina, pronounced the same way, so it shares Mina's meaning and origin.
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)
Minna popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,722 | 29 |
| 2020 | #4,332 | 32 |
| 2010 | #5,905 | 23 |
| 2000 | #6,143 | 18 |
| 1990 | #5,206 | 18 |
| 1980 | #5,139 | 14 |
| 1970 | #4,409 | 13 |
| 1960 | #4,667 | 9 |
| 1950 | #2,860 | 14 |
| 1940 | #2,270 | 14 |
| 1930 | #2,269 | 15 |
| 1920 | #1,869 | 22 |
| 1910 | #749 | 33 |
| 1900 | #552 | 39 |
| 1890 | #440 | 34 |
| 1880 | #413 | 17 |
How popular is Minna, counting every spelling?
Minna is a spelling of Mina, a name family that ranked #547 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,722 for Minna 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 Minna?
29 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Minna (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Minna 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 291 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Minna.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Minna?
About 1,400 people born in the US named Minna are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 12 and 46. That makes Minna 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.
Minna by state
How common Minna was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 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 Minna: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Minna, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Minna
What does Minna mean?
Minna is a spelling of Mina, usually explained as “several origins (short for Wilhelmina; Arabic, Sanskrit)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Minna?
Minna was the 4722nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 29 babies. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked 369th; the most babies were born in 1916 (54). Over the last ten years it has moved down 353 places. More babies were named Minna in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Is Minna a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Minna in the US.
Where is Minna most popular?
In 2021–2025, Minna was most common in Illinois (0.02 per 1,000 girls).