girl's name
Monica
MON-ik-uh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 262,338
the United States
#737
2025 births
Monica is a girl's name whose meaning is genuinely unknown, and whose saint — the mother of Augustine — came from Roman North Africa, so the name may be Berber rather than Latin or Greek at all.
- Monica is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1979, when 6,619 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 8,936 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Monica 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 | 89 |
| 1890s | 277 |
| 1900s | 505 |
| 1910s | 1,739 |
| 1920s | 2,067 |
| 1930s | 2,469 |
| 1940s | 4,662 |
| 1950s | 18,736 |
| 1960s | 45,316 |
| 1970s | 62,005 |
| 1980s | 52,198 |
| 1990s | 39,060 |
| 2000s | 14,705 |
| 2010s | 6,074 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,355 |
What Monica means
Monica has no established meaning. Advisor, from a Latin verb, and alone, from a Greek one, are both proposed, but neither is secure and the name may belong to a third language entirely.
Where Monica comes from
Monica's origin is unresolved. It is commonly given as advisor, from the Latin monere, to warn, and equally often as alone, from the Greek monos — two guesses in two languages, neither supported. The earliest known bearer points elsewhere: Saint Monica, mother of Augustine of Hippo, came from Thagaste in Roman North Africa, and her name may be Berber or Punic, possibly connected to a local deity. Augustine's Confessions records her persistence in praying for his conversion across decades, which made her patron of mothers and of those with difficult children.
Monica in use
Monica peaked in the United States in 1979, when 6,619 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 737th in the United States on 371 births, 983rd in Scotland, 1260th in England and Wales on 26 and 1446th in France, across 262,338 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. Its French form Monique, written up separately, holds nearly twice the volume but charts in only two markets.
How popular is Monica?
In 2025, Monica was given to 371 babies in the United States, ranking #737 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Monica 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 Monica
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Monica also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Monica over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Monica
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.
Monica 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 Monica
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Monica — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Monica
What does the name Monica mean?
Not established. Advisor and alone are both proposed, but the name may be Berber or Punic rather than Latin or Greek.
Who was Saint Monica?
The mother of Augustine of Hippo, from Roman North Africa, and patron of mothers.
Is Monique the same name?
Yes, the French form. It holds nearly twice the volume but charts in only two markets.
How popular is Monica?
737th in the United States, down from a 1979 peak of 6,619 births.
Is Monica a girl's or a boy's name?
Monica is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Monica?
Monica has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Monica?
Monica is usually shortened to Mon and Nica.
Is Monica a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Monica currently ranks #737 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.