ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1942 First Year 2026 Last Year 1990 Peak Year #705 Peak Rank 10K Total Count 80 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Monika What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Monika is a female name in German, Scandinavian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovenian, Macedonian, Croatian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian (Mónika) and Japanese which can also be seen in India. It is a variation of Monica, stemming from the word "advisor" in Latin and "unique" in Greek. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monika%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monika%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * German * Swedish * Norwegian * Danish * Finnish * Estonian * Czech * Slovak * Polish * Slovene * Croatian * Bulgarian * Macedonian * Lithuanian * Latvian * Hungarian 📖 ## The Story of Monika Monika first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1942, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1990: 257 births, good for #783 nationwide. About 23% of every Monika on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Monika ranks #6,650 for baby girls with 17 births, falling sharply (-31%). All told, over 10K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State 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 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Monika Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Monika. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Mona](/mona) * [Monica](/monica) * Moonika ⭐ ## Notable people named Monika A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●Monika ÄijÀ (born 1963), Swedish alpine skier * ●Monika Absolonová (born 1976), Czech singer and actress * ●Monika Adamczyk-Garbowska , Polish literature expert and professor of humanistic studies * ●Monika Aidelsburger , German quantum physicist * ●Monika Antonelli (born 1959), American voice actor and librarian * ●Monika Athare (born 1992), Indian long-distance runner * ●Monika Auer (born 1957), Italian luger * ●Monika Babok (born 1991), Croatian swimmer Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monika%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monika%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Monika Phonetically similar names — useful when Monika is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Monica](/monica) * [Manica](/manica) * Manaka * [Monaco](/monaco) * Manuka * Muneca * Moniker * Mancha * [Monic](/monic) * Monicker * Meineke * [Monaca](/monaca) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Monika What does the name Monika mean? Monika is a female name in German, Scandinavian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovenian, Macedonian, Croatian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian (Mónika) and Japanese which can also be seen in India. It is a variation of Monica, stemming from the word "advisor" in Latin and "unique" in Greek. What is the origin of the name Monika? Monika has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian. How popular is Monika in 2026? In 2026, Monika ranks #6,650 among girls' names in the U.S., with 17 babies given the name that year. When was Monika most popular? Monika reached its peak popularity in 1990, ranking #705 that year with 257 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Monika most popular? Monika has historically been most popular in Nevada, Connecticut, Illinois. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Monika. Is Monika a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Monika is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Monika? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Monika include Ardella, Joycelyn, Dori. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Monika? Common variants and related forms of Monika include Mona, Monica, Moonika. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧ArdellaPeak #705](/ardella)[👧JoycelynPeak #705](/joycelyn)[👧DoriPeak #705](/dori)[👧ZaniyahPeak #705](/zaniyah)[👧LavadaPeak #704](/lavada)[👧KyaPeak #706](/kya)[👧WilhelminePeak #707](/wilhelmine)[👧RivkaPeak #707](/rivka) ## About the name Monika Monika is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1942 and has accumulated 10K births in the dataset. Monika's peak popularity came in 1990 when it ranked #705\. Use the chart and map above to compare Monika's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1990 → ](/year/1990) * [ Names of the 1990s → ](/decade/1990s) * [ Names starting with "M" → ](/letter/m) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) 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.