Ming
Ming is a transliteration of multiple Chinese given names. Notable people with these names include:Ming Chen, Taiwanese American actor Ming Chin, American jurist of Chinese descent Fu Ming, Chinese football referee Gao Ming, Chinese poet and playwright Huang Ming (皇明), a name for the Ming dynasty Huang Ming (politician), Deputy Minister of Public Security of China Huang Ming, Deputy Commander of…
Meaning & Origin of Ming
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ming is a transliteration of multiple Chinese given names. Notable people with these names include:Ming Chen, Taiwanese American actor Ming Chin, American jurist of Chinese descent Fu Ming, Chinese football referee Gao Ming, Chinese poet and playwright Huang Ming (皇明), a name for the Ming dynasty Huang Ming (politician), Deputy Minister of Public Security of China Huang Ming, Deputy Commander of…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Ming
As a girl name
Ming first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1971, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2000, when 12 Mings were born — ranking #8,025 that year. As of 2026, Ming ranks #14,580 for girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 142 Mings have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Ming first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1920, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1981, when 14 Mings were born — ranking #3,027 that year. As of 2026, Ming ranks #8,947 for boys with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 349 Mings have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Ming
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ming 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 Ming
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About the name Ming
Ming is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1920 and has accumulated 349 births in the dataset. Ming's peak popularity came in 1981 when it ranked #3,027. Use the chart and map above to compare Ming's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1981 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.