girl's name
Miranda
mi-RAN-duh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 122,433
the United States
#655
2025 births
Miranda was coined by Shakespeare for The Tempest around 1611, from the Latin for to be wondered at. It is one of very few names on this site traceable to a single work of literature.
- Miranda is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1995, when 5,984 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 7,587 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Miranda 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.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 70 |
| 1890s | 64 |
| 1900s | 36 |
| 1910s | 84 |
| 1920s | 87 |
| 1930s | 42 |
| 1940s | 157 |
| 1950s | 795 |
| 1960s | 1,526 |
| 1970s | 8,143 |
| 1980s | 22,793 |
| 1990s | 42,275 |
| 2000s | 23,768 |
| 2010s | 12,255 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,073 |
What Miranda means
Miranda means worthy of admiration, or to be wondered at. The Latin is a gerundive — a form meaning something that ought to be done to a thing, so the sense is one who must be admired.
Where Miranda comes from
Miranda is the Latin mirandus, to be wondered at, from mirari, to wonder — the same root as miracle, mirror and admire. Shakespeare coined it for the daughter in The Tempest, and the grammar is doing real work: a gerundive expresses obligation, so the name means not merely admirable but one who must be admired, which is exactly how the play treats her. Miranda rights in American law are unrelated, named for Ernesto Miranda, and one of Uranus's moons carries the Shakespearean name.
Miranda in use
Miranda peaked in the United States in 1995, when 5,984 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 655th in the United States on 437 births, 3055th in France and 3205th in England and Wales, across 122,433 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. It is the second writer-coined name in two batches, after Mistral's Mireille.
How popular is Miranda?
In 2025, Miranda was given to 437 babies in the United States, ranking #655 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Miranda 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 Miranda
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Miranda also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Miranda over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Miranda
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.
Miranda 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 Miranda
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Miranda — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Miranda
What does the name Miranda mean?
To be wondered at — the Latin mirandus, from mirari, to wonder.
Did Shakespeare invent Miranda?
Yes, for The Tempest around 1611. It is one of very few names traceable to a single work.
Are Miranda rights related?
No — those are named for Ernesto Miranda, a defendant in a 1966 case.
How popular is Miranda?
655th in the United States, down from a 1995 peak of 5,978 births.
Is Miranda a girl's or a boy's name?
Miranda is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Miranda?
Miranda has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Miranda?
Miranda is usually shortened to Mira and Randa.
Is Miranda a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Miranda currently ranks #655 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.