girl's name
Mina
MEE-nuh (English)
- Origin German, Persian, Sanskrit
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 30,489
the United States
#596
2025 births
Mina is a girl's name with several independent origins. It's a German pet form of Wilhelmina, "resolute protector"; a Persian word for blue enamel; a Sanskrit word for fish; and a form of the Coptic saint's name Menas, so one spelling carries many meanings.
- Mina is a name of German, Persian, Sanskrit origin.
- Peaked in 2021, when 523 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 6,552 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Mina Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 773 |
| 1890s | 1,009 |
| 1900s | 756 |
| 1910s | 1,288 |
| 1920s | 1,236 |
| 1930s | 863 |
| 1940s | 700 |
| 1950s | 577 |
| 1960s | 522 |
| 1970s | 431 |
| 1980s | 731 |
| 1990s | 1,380 |
| 2000s | 2,706 |
| 2010s | 3,964 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,003 |
What Mina Means
Mina has no single meaning, because separate names share this form. Protector, enamel and fish are all well attested, and the sense depends on the language of the family that uses it.
Where Mina Comes From
German Wilhelmina, from Wilhelm, gave the short form Minna or Mina. Persian mina is a word for enamel and for blue glass, and it's used poetically for the sky. In Sanskrit mina is a fish, and Pisces is called Meena, which appears as Meena or Mina in India. Arabic Mina is a valley near Mecca, a stage of the pilgrimage. Coptic Mina is a man's name from Saint Menas of Egypt, which Wikipedia explains as steadfast. Each of these reached parents through a separate history, and reference sites list whichever one matches their readers.
Mina in Use
Mina Harker of Dracula, short for Wilhelmina, gave the European form its most famous character. Mina Kimes, the American sports journalist, is a modern bearer.
How Popular Is Mina?
In 2025, Mina was given to 506 babies in the United States, ranking #596 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Mina 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 Mina Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mïna | Mïna is a rare spelling of Mina, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Mina
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Mina Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mina over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Mina
- English MEE-nuh
Mina 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 Mina
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Mina — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Mina
What does the name Mina mean?
It varies: protector in German, enamel in Persian and fish in Sanskrit.
What is Mina short for?
In Europe, usually Wilhelmina.
Why does Mina have so many meanings?
Unrelated names in several languages share this spelling.
How popular is the name Mina?
In 2025, Mina was given to 506 babies in the United States, ranking #596 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Is Mina a girl's or a boy's name?
Mina is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mina?
Mina has 2 syllables.
When was Mina most popular?
Mina peaked in 2021, when 523 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Mina a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mina currently ranks #310 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.