ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1975 First Year 2026 Last Year 1982 Peak Year #1013 Peak Rank 2K Total Count 52 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1977 First Year 2018 Last Year 1982 Peak Year #3647 Peak Rank 286 Total Count 32 Years Active Advertisement 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Minh What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Minh is a given name of Vietnamese origin. The name is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese reading of the Chinese character 明. Meaning "bright," "clear," or "intelligent." In Vietnamese naming traditions, Minh is associated with clarity, wisdom, and enlightenment for men. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minh) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minh) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Vietnamese 📖 ## The Story of Minh ### As a girl name Minh first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1977, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1982: 22 births, good for #3,647 nationwide. The 1980s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 45% of all recorded Minhs. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2018 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 286 Minhs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name American parents first put Minh on the record books as a boy name in 1975, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1982, when 80 Minhs were born — ranking #1,013 that year. The 1980s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 27% of all recorded Minhs. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #3,144 among boy names with 39 births, gradually rising (+15%). In total, more than 2K Minhs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Minh Phonetically similar names — useful when Minh is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Min](/min) * Myn * [Minne](/minne) * Minn * Men * [Mun](/mun) * Munn * Menn * Mman * Wman * Mesne * Menne Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Minh What does the name Minh mean? Minh is a given name of Vietnamese origin. The name is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese reading of the Chinese character 明. Meaning "bright," "clear," or "intelligent." In Vietnamese naming traditions, Minh is associated with clarity, wisdom, and enlightenment for men. What is the origin of the name Minh? Minh has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Vietnamese. How popular is Minh in 2026? In 2026, Minh ranks #3,144 among boys' names in the U.S., with 39 babies given the name that year. When was Minh most popular? Minh reached its peak popularity in 1982, ranking #1,013 that year with 80 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Minh most popular? Minh has historically been most popular in Louisiana, California, Pennsylvania. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Minh. Is Minh a unisex name? Yes — Minh is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 12% of Minhs assigned female and 88% assigned male historically. What names go well with Minh? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Minh include Cy, Eduard, Moise. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦CyPeak #1013](/cy)[👦EduardPeak #1013](/eduard)[👦MoisePeak #1013](/moise)[👦BoleslawPeak #1013](/boleslaw) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧DaneePeak #3647](/danee)[👧CharesePeak #3647](/charese)[👧TaronPeak #3647](/taron)[👧AartiPeak #3647](/aarti) Advertisement ## About the name Minh Minh is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1975 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Minh's peak popularity came in 1982 when it ranked #1,013\. Use the chart and map above to compare Minh's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1982 → ](/year/1982) * [ Names of the 1980s → ](/decade/1980s) * [ Names starting with "M" → ](/letter/m) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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. Advertisement