girl's name
Mia
MEE-uh
- Origin uncertain (Scandinavian/Italian short form)
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 3
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 444,605
the United States
#6
2025 births
Mia is a girl's name that began as a short form of longer names such as Maria and Amelia before becoming an independent given name in its own right. It is also the Italian and Spanish word for "mine," as in the affectionate address "mia cara," though this is a coincidence rather than the name's origin.
- Mia is a name of uncertain (Scandinavian/Italian short form) origin.
- Peaked in 2015, when 14,960 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 299 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1933.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Mia over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1930s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 6 |
| 1940s | 105 |
| 1950s | 360 |
| 1960s | 4,240 |
| 1970s | 4,424 |
| 1980s | 5,713 |
| 1990s | 14,636 |
| 2000s | 83,651 |
| 2010s | 129,244 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 68,231 |
What Mia means
Mia doesn't have a single settled meaning, since it developed as a pet form of several longer names rather than from one root word. Most commonly it is treated as a short form of Maria, itself from the Hebrew Miryam, often glossed as "bitter" or "beloved," though scholars disagree on Miryam's original sense.
Where Mia comes from
Mia's history is unusually informal for such a widely used name. Rather than descending from a single ancient root, it developed across several European languages as an affectionate short form — of Maria in Italian and Scandinavian usage, and sometimes of Amelia or Michaela in English. Because "mia" also happens to be the Italian and Spanish word for "mine," the name has picked up a secondary layer of warmth in Romance-language contexts, used the way English speakers might say "my dear." By the later twentieth century, Mia had detached from its parent names in English-speaking countries and become a standalone given name, no longer read primarily as a nickname.
How popular is Mia?
In 2025, Mia was given to 11,087 babies in the United States, ranking #6 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Mia is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Mia is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mïa | Mïa is Mia written with a diaeresis, used in France, where it ranks #316. | 1,865 |
| Mía | Mía is a rare spelling of Mia, written with a fada and recorded 9 times, mostly in Ireland. | 9 |
| Mià | Mià is a rare spelling of Mia, written with a grave accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Mia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Mia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Mia
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Mia in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Mia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Mia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Mia
What does the name Mia mean?
Mia doesn't have one settled meaning — it developed as a short form of names like Maria and Amelia rather than from a single root.
Is Mia short for Maria?
In many European languages, yes, though in English-speaking countries Mia is now used as an independent name.
Does Mia mean "mine"?
Mia is the Italian and Spanish word for "mine," but this is a coincidence rather than the source of the name.
How popular is the name Mia?
In 2025, Mia was given to 11,087 babies in the United States, ranking #6 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Mia a girl's or a boy's name?
Mia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mia?
Mia has 2 syllables.
When was Mia most popular?
Mia peaked in 2015, when 14,960 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Mia?
Mia is usually shortened to Mimi.
Is Mia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mia currently ranks #6 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.