Girl · #2,256 in 2026

Minerva

Name: Popularity of the name Minerva in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Minerva, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Minerva is a feminine given name usually given in reference to the Ancient Roman goddess of wisdom. The name Minerva stems from Proto-Italic *meneswo, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) *menos ("thought").

Current Rank

#2,256

Peak Rank

#193 (1955)

Total Babies

16K

5-Yr Trend

+7%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1955

Peak Year

#193

Peak Rank

16K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Minerva

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

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

The Story of Minerva

Minerva first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 63 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1955, when 221 Minervas were born — ranking #624 that year. As of 2026, Minerva ranks #2,256 for baby girls with 83 births, gradually rising (+7%). In total, more than 16K Minervas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Minerva

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

Menorrhea
Monroe
Manoeuvre
Munro
Munroe
Manoeuvres
Marva
Manoeuvred
Monora
Manoeuvring
Mariya
Manrique

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Minerva

What does the name Minerva mean?

How popular is Minerva in 2026?

In 2026, Minerva ranks #2,256 among girls' names in the U.S., with 83 babies given the name that year.

When was Minerva most popular?

Minerva reached its peak popularity in 1955, ranking #193 that year with 221 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Minerva most popular?

Minerva has historically been most popular in Texas, Hawaii, North Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Minerva.

Is Minerva a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Minerva is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Minerva?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Minerva include Ernestine, Marla, Helena. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Minerva

Minerva is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 16K births in the dataset. Minerva's peak popularity came in 1955 when it ranked #193. Use the chart and map above to compare Minerva'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.