girl's name

Minerva

  • Gender Girl
  • Syllables 3
  • Letters 7
  • Popularity Uncommon
  • Births on record 16,062

Minerva is a girl's name with 3 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 89 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

  • Peaked in 1955, when 221 babies were given the name.
  • After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
  • Today about 1 in 37,252 babies in the United States is given this name.
  • 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.

Minerva over time

Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.

1,874
'80 '90 '00 '10 '20 '30 '40 '50 '60 '70 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named Minerva by decade in the United States
Decade Births
1880s 661
1890s 781
1900s 828
1910s 1,591
1920s 1,738
1930s 1,248
1940s 1,337
1950s 1,874
1960s 1,585
1970s 1,070
1980s 837
1990s 669
2000s 555
2010s 557
2020s (to 2025) 492

How popular is Minerva?

In 2025, Minerva was given to 89 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

Where Minerva is used

Canada #2,065 11 in 2024
United States #2,113 89 in 2025
England & Wales #3,259 8 in 2025

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

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 Minerva

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents who like Minerva also like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Minerva over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Sibling names for Minerva

Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Minerva — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common questions about Minerva

How popular is the name Minerva?

In 2025, Minerva was given to 89 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

Is Minerva a girl's or a boy's name?

Minerva is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.

How many syllables are in Minerva?

Minerva has 3 syllables.

When was Minerva most popular?

Minerva peaked in 1955, when 221 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.

Is Minerva a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Minerva currently ranks #2,065 in the United States. After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.