Girl · #11,069 in 2026

Elmina

Elmina is a town and the capital of the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem District on the south coast of Ghana in the Central Region. It is situated on a bay on the Atlantic Ocean, 12.2 km (7.6 mi) west of Cape Coast. Elmina was the first European settlement in West Africa and it has a population of 33,576 people, as of 2013. The current Municipality chief of Elmina is Solomon Ebo Appiah.

Current Rank
#11,069
Peak Rank
#1,445 (1916)
Total Babies
819
5-Yr Trend
+20%
1880
First Year
2024
Last Year
1916
Peak Year
#1445
Peak Rank
819
Total Count
88
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Elmina

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Elmina is a town and the capital of the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem District on the south coast of Ghana in the Central Region. It is situated on a bay on the Atlantic Ocean, 12.2 km (7.6 mi) west of Cape Coast. Elmina was the first European settlement in West Africa and it has a population of 33,576 people, as of 2013. The current Municipality chief of Elmina is Solomon Ebo Appiah.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese, the town was originally called Anomansah ("perpetual" or "inexhaustible drink") from its position on the peninsula between the Benya lagoon and the sea. It eventually was named after the Elmina Castle , which is also called "São Jorge da Mina". The word " Elmina " simply means "the mine".
Origin & history
Main article: History of Elmina

The Story of Elmina

Elmina first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1916, when 26 Elminas were born — ranking #1,445 that year. As of 2026, Elmina ranks #11,069 for baby girls with 8 births, rising sharply (+20% over the past five years). In total, more than 819 Elminas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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Notable people named Elmina

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Solomon Kojo Antwi , footballer
  • Jacobus Capitein , writer, first individual of African descent to be ordained as a minister in an established Protestant church
  • George Emil Eminsang , merchant, politician
  • Frederik Willem Fennekol , politician
  • Adjua Gyapiaba , herbalist, diviner
  • Frans Last , jurist, served as the attorney general ( Dutch : procureur-generaal ) at the Supreme Court of the Dutch East Indies
  • Cynthia Mamle Morrison , politician, minister designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection
  • Willem Essuman Pietersen , politician

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Elmina

Phonetically similar names — useful when Elmina is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Elmina

What does the name Elmina mean?
Elmina is a town and the capital of the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem District on the south coast of Ghana in the Central Region. It is situated on a bay on the Atlantic Ocean, 12.2 km (7.6 mi) west of Cape Coast. Elmina was the first European settlement in West Africa and it has a population of 33,576 people, as of 2013. The current Municipality chief of Elmina is Solomon Ebo Appiah.
How popular is Elmina in 2026?
In 2026, Elmina ranks #11,069 among girls' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year.
When was Elmina most popular?
Elmina reached its peak popularity in 1916, ranking #1,445 that year with 26 babies given the name.
Is Elmina a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Elmina is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Elmina?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Elmina include Berdie, Elnore, Beata. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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About the name Elmina

Elmina is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 819 births in the dataset. Elmina's peak popularity came in 1916 when it ranked #1,445. Use the chart and map above to compare Elmina's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.