girl's name
Mimi
MEE-mee (English)
- Origin French, Italian, Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 8,009
England and Wales
#873
2025 births
Mimi is a girl's name that began as a pet form of Maria and Miriam, used especially in French and Italian. It's also a short form of other names with an M sound, such as Michelle and Emilia, and it's given as a full name in its own right.
- Mimi is a name of French, Italian, Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1961, when 168 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 236,855 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Mimi Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 24 |
| 1910s | 181 |
| 1920s | 330 |
| 1930s | 411 |
| 1940s | 646 |
| 1950s | 1,281 |
| 1960s | 1,334 |
| 1970s | 637 |
| 1980s | 589 |
| 1990s | 627 |
| 2000s | 515 |
| 2010s | 255 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 120 |
What Mimi Means
Mimi takes its sense from the longer name behind it, most often Mary or Miriam, whose meaning is debated. The doubled syllable belongs to baby talk, so the name is above all affectionate.
Where Mimi Comes From
Repeating a syllable is a very old way of making a pet name, and Mimi arose in that way from names beginning with M. Maria and Miriam are the usual sources, with sites such as The Bump adding Mira and Naomi, and Ancestry adding Michelle and Emilia. Miriam goes back to Hebrew, and its meaning is uncertain. French and Italian both use it. Henri Murger's stories of Bohemian Paris gave it to a fragile seamstress, and Puccini's opera La Bohème made her world famous, though in the opera she admits that her real name is Lucia.
Mimi in Use
In parts of the American South and elsewhere, Mimi is also a common family word for a grandmother. Well-known bearers include actress Mimi Rogers, and singer Mariah Carey uses it as an alter ego on The Emancipation of Mimi.
How Popular Is Mimi?
In 2025, Mimi was given to 14 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Mimi 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.
Names That Peaked Alongside Mimi
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Mimi Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mimi over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Mimi
- English MEE-mee
Mimi 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 Mimi
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Mimi — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Mimi
What does the name Mimi mean?
It's a pet form, so it takes the meaning of Maria or Miriam.
What is Mimi short for?
Most often Maria, Miriam, Michelle or Emilia.
Who is Mimi in La Bohème?
The seamstress heroine of Puccini's opera, whose real name in the libretto is Lucia.
How popular is the name Mimi?
In 2025, Mimi was given to 14 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Mimi a girl's or a boy's name?
Mimi is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mimi?
Mimi has 2 syllables.
When was Mimi most popular?
Mimi peaked in 1961, when 168 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Mimi a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mimi currently ranks #873 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.