Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1955

Minerva

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,112 Trend ↑ Rising 13%

Minerva is a feminine given name usually given in reference to the Ancient Roman goddess of wisdom.

Rank 2025
#2,112
among girls · ↑340 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
89
named Minerva · +20% vs 2024
How common
1 in 18,059
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1955
221 babies
All-time total
15,823
#1,236 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Minerva popularity over time

15,823 babies have been named Minerva since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1880Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s 661 66 – #194
1890s 781 78 +18% #267
1900s 828 83 +6% #332
1910s 1,591 159 +92% #381
1920s 1,738 174 +9% #479
1930s 1,248 125 -28% #539
1940s 1,337 134 +7% #591
1950s 1,874 187 +40% #625
1960s 1,585 159 -15% #710
1970s 1,070 107 -32% #952
1980s 837 84 -22% #1,185
1990s 669 67 -20% #1,653
2000s 555 56 -17% #2,590
2010s 557 56 0% #2,214
2020s (to 2025) 492 82 +47% #2,086

Where Minerva is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 90 0.06 outside top 500
2027 91 0.06 outside top 500
2028 92 0.06 outside top 500
2029 93 0.06 outside top 500
2030 94 0.06 outside top 500

Where Minerva is most popular

Girls named Minerva per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.052 per 1,000. Strongest in Arizona, California, and Texas.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Minerva born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Arizona 12 0.086 +64%
California 68 0.081 +55%
Texas 44 0.055 +5%
Illinois 10 0.044 -16%
Michigan 5 0.027 -47%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -59%
Ohio 5 0.021 -60%
Florida 5 0.012 -78%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Minerva

Minerva is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,112 in 2025 with 89 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 15,823 American babies have been named Minerva. Its peak came in 1955, when 221 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Minerva stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Minerva?

The median living Minerva is about 56 years old; half are between 33 and 70. An estimated 8,300 people named Minerva are alive in the United States today.

median 56 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Minerva year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 89 #2,112
2024 74 #2,452
2023 93 #2,086
2022 83 #2,270
2021 84 #2,226
2020 69 #2,519
2019 84 #2,214
2018 82 #2,250
2017 68 #2,591
2016 65 #2,687
2015 51 #3,242
2014 47 #3,403
2013 46 #3,445
2012 39 #3,969
2011 38 #3,985
2010 37 #4,086
2009 41 #3,847
2008 48 #3,459
2007 72 #2,590
2006 65 #2,749
2005 59 #2,815
2004 58 #2,798
2003 61 #2,631
2002 55 #2,767
2001 45 #3,127
2000 51 #2,847
1995 61 #2,208
1990 90 #1,653
1985 82 #1,503
1980 97 #1,314
1975 100 #1,159
1970 127 #987
1965 154 #797
1960 206 #712
1955 221 #625
1950 144 #716
1945 112 #706
1940 105 #678
1935 101 #657
1930 157 #543
1925 185 #522
1920 204 #479
1915 205 #424
1910 100 #396
1905 88 #360
1900 101 #336
1895 75 #333
1890 89 #267
1885 77 #225
1880 63 #194

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Minerva, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Minerva?

The median living Minerva is about 56 years old. Half of all living Minervas are between 33 and 70 years old.

How many people named Minerva are alive today?

An estimated 8,300 people named Minerva are alive in the United States, based on 15,823 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Minerva mean?

Minerva is a feminine given name usually given in reference to the Ancient Roman goddess of wisdom.

How popular is the name Minerva in 2025?

Minerva ranked #2,112 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 89 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Minerva?

15,823 babies have been named Minerva in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Minerva most popular?

Minerva peaked in 1955, when 221 newborns received the name.

Is Minerva a boy or girl name?

Minerva is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Minerva rising or falling?

Minerva is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Minerva become more popular?

Minerva looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 94 girls named Minerva in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Minerva

Names that sound and feel close to Minerva: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Minerva with similar names → More names starting with M →