girls' name ★ peaked 1979

Monica

Meaning From Latin Mŏnĭca, name of the mother of St Gender Girl Rank 2025 #737 Trend ↓ Falling 13%

From Latin Mŏnĭca, name of the mother of St. Augustine, of uncertain meaning but probably Berber or Phoenician origin.

Rank 2025
#737
among girls · ↓13 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
371
named Monica · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,332
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1979
6,619 babies
All-time total
252,257
#164 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Monica popularity over time

252,257 babies have been named Monica 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
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 89 – 89 9 – #572
1890s 277 – 277 28 +211% #482
1900s 505 – 505 51 +82% #441
1910s 1,739 – 1,739 174 +244% #373
1920s 2,067 – 2,067 207 +19% #434
1930s 2,469 – 2,469 247 +19% #352
1940s 4,657 5 4,662 466 +89% #262
1950s 18,722 14 18,736 1,874 +302% #151
1960s 45,192 124 45,316 4,532 +142% #59
1970s 61,680 325 62,005 6,201 +37% #39
1980s 51,863 335 52,198 5,220 -16% #45
1990s 38,895 165 39,060 3,906 -25% #76
2000s 14,690 15 14,705 1,471 -62% #167
2010s 6,074 – 6,074 607 -59% #361
2020s (to 2025) 2,355 – 2,355 393 -35% #695

Where Monica 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 362 0.23 outside top 500
2027 354 0.22 outside top 500
2028 348 0.22 outside top 500
2029 342 0.21 outside top 500
2030 338 0.21 outside top 500

Where Monica is most popular

Girls named Monica per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.240 per 1,000. Strongest in Washington, Nebraska, and Illinois.

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 Monica 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
Washington 66 0.457 +90%
Nebraska 16 0.445 +85%
Illinois 89 0.389 +62%
California 294 0.350 +45%
Arizona 47 0.335 +39%
Florida 142 0.332 +38%
Texas 260 0.323 +34%
North Carolina 73 0.321 +33%
Virginia 54 0.317 +32%
Kansas 18 0.312 +30%
Wisconsin 32 0.311 +29%
Indiana 42 0.299 +24%
Minnesota 30 0.278 +16%
Ohio 65 0.274 +14%
Iowa 16 0.274 +14%
Georgia 62 0.273 +13%
New Jersey 48 0.266 +11%
Tennessee 38 0.240 ≈ national
Maryland 25 0.236 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 55 0.233 ≈ national
Oregon 15 0.230 ≈ national
Colorado 24 0.215 -11%
New Mexico 5 0.206 -15%
Oklahoma 15 0.204 -15%
Michigan 37 0.203 -16%
New York 68 0.172 -29%
Missouri 19 0.158 -34%
Idaho 5 0.149 -38%
South Carolina 13 0.145 -40%
Kentucky 11 0.129 -47%
Utah 10 0.120 -50%
Massachusetts 14 0.116 -52%
Nevada 5 0.108 -55%
Connecticut 5 0.086 -64%
Louisiana 5 0.057 -76%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Monica

Monica is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #737 in 2025 with 371 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 252,257 American babies have been named Monica. Its peak came in 1979, when 6,619 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

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 Monica stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Monica?

The median living Monica is about 46 years old; half are between 35 and 56. An estimated 232 thousand people named Monica are alive in the United States today.

median 46 020406080100

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

Monica year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 371 #737 – –
2024 390 #724 – –
2023 386 #729 – –
2022 389 #744 – –
2021 415 #695 – –
2020 404 #697 – –
2019 459 #638 – –
2018 498 #608 – –
2017 473 #626 – –
2016 522 #587 – –
2015 557 #559 – –
2014 577 #539 – –
2013 597 #504 – –
2012 724 #431 – –
2011 780 #404 – –
2010 887 #361 – –
2009 972 #339 – –
2008 1,064 #317 – –
2007 1,192 #285 – –
2006 1,363 #248 – –
2005 1,409 #238 – –
2004 1,512 #225 9 #7,972
2003 1,613 #207 – –
2002 1,778 #180 – –
2001 1,796 #182 6 #10,122
2000 1,991 #167 – –
1995 3,970 #87 12 #5,013
1990 4,453 #76 19 #3,267
1985 4,990 #61 28 #2,050
1980 6,034 #45 43 #1,462
1975 5,476 #49 33 #1,585
1970 6,188 #56 33 #1,486
1965 5,113 #72 15 #2,142
1960 3,088 #140 8 #3,250
1955 1,817 #182 – –
1950 1,059 #231 – –
1945 400 #339 – –
1940 285 #409 – –
1935 332 #352 – –
1930 168 #522 – –
1925 198 #500 – –
1920 215 #462 – –
1915 196 #437 – –
1910 79 #454 – –
1905 53 #470 – –
1900 39 #553 – –
1895 20 #719 – –
1890 17 #661 – –
1885 10 #728 – –
1880 6 #813 – –

Famous people named Monica

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Monica Bellucci Monica Bellucci Italian actress and model (born 1964) Contemporary
  2. 2 Monica Lewinsky Monica Lewinsky American activist (born 1973) Contemporary
  3. 3 Monica Seles Monica Seles Yugoslav–American tennis player (b. 1973) Contemporary
  4. 4 Monica Potter Monica Potter American actress (born 1971) Contemporary
  5. 5 Monica Raymund Monica Raymund American actress (born 1986) Contemporary
  6. 6 Monica Monica American singer (born 1980) Contemporary
  7. 7 Monica Keena Monica Keena American actress (born 1979) Contemporary
  8. 8 Monica Vitti Monica Vitti Italian actress (1931–2022) Contemporary
  9. 9 Monica Puig Monica Puig Puerto Rican tennis player b. 1993 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Monica Guerritore Monica Guerritore Italian actress (born 1958) Contemporary
  11. 11 Monica Ali Monica Ali British writer, novelist (born 1967) Contemporary
  12. 12 Monica Mayhem Monica Mayhem Australian pornographic actress, dancer & singer (born 1978) Contemporary
  13. 13 Monica Zetterlund Monica Zetterlund Swedish jazz singer and actress (1937–2005) Contemporary
  14. 14 Monica Niculescu Monica Niculescu Romanian tennis player (born 1987) Contemporary
  15. 15 Monica Bleibtreu Monica Bleibtreu Austrian-German actress and screenwriter 1944–2009 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Monica Anghel Monica Anghel Romanian singer and television personality (born 1971) Contemporary
  17. 17 Monica Lovinescu Monica Lovinescu Romanian essayist 1923–2008 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Monica Roșu Romanian artistic gymnast b. 1987 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Monica Iozzi Monica Iozzi Brazilian actress and reporter (born 1981) Contemporary
  20. 20 Monica Frassoni Monica Frassoni Italian politician (born 1963) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Monica?

The median living Monica is about 46 years old. Half of all living Monicas are between 35 and 56 years old.

How many people named Monica are alive today?

An estimated 232 thousand people named Monica are alive in the United States, based on 252,257 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Monica mean?

From Latin Mŏnĭca, name of the mother of St. Augustine, of uncertain meaning but probably Berber or Phoenician origin.

How popular is the name Monica in 2025?

Monica ranked #737 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 371 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Monica?

252,257 babies have been named Monica in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Monica most popular?

Monica peaked in 1979, when 6,619 newborns received the name.

Is Monica a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Monica rising or falling?

Monica is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Monica become more popular?

Monica is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 338 girls named Monica in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Monica?

Well-known people named Monica include Monica Bellucci (actor), Monica Lewinsky (celebrity), Monica Seles (tennis player).

Names like Monica

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

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