Total births
15,823
Girls' name · since 1880
Minerva
15,823 babies named Minerva in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1955. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2434
- among girls today
- 15,823
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other girls
Minerva currently ranks #2434 among girls' names in America, with 15,823 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Minerva recorded 15,823 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #2434 nationally today, ahead of 86% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2434 among girls today
- 15,823 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 86% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Minerva is currently the #2434 girls' name in America, more common than 86% of girls - 15,823 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #2434
- among girls today
- 15,823
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other girls
Minerva vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2434
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 86% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
12% of everyone ever named Minerva was born in this single decade.
1955
Single peak year
221 babies were named Minerva in 1955 - its busiest year on record.
How Minerva compares
15,823 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Minerva's all-time total is 41x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Minerva | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,823 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 221 | 48 | 19,840 |
Minerva's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Minerva's full recorded timeline at 1953, 45% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 55% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 2010, with just 37 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1955 peak of 221 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Minerva at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1955
Current rank
#2,434
Active since
1880
Minerva popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1955)
- 221
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Minerva by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Minerva's strongest decade.
1,874 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.
Minerva births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 661
1880s
661 births
- 1890s
1890s
781 births
- 1900s
1900s
828 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,591 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,738 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,248 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,337 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,874 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,585 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,070 births
- 1980s
1980s
837 births
- 1990s 669
1990s
669 births
- 2000s 555
2000s
555 births
- 2010s 557
2010s
557 births
- 2020s 492
2020s
492 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 1,874 births (12% of all-time use).
How Minerva compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Minerva's total volume
Minerva vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Minerva by state
Where Minerva concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 3,849 | 24.3% |
| #2 | California | | 1,543 | 9.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 1,499 | 9.5% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 773 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 383 | 2.4% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 235 | 1.5% |
| #7 | Kentucky | | 162 | 1.0% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 118 | 0.7% |
Texas share of Minerva's total US births 24.3%
Even split
3,849 of 15,823 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Minerva appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Minerva? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 15,823 babies named Minerva. Today it holds rank #2434 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1955, with 221 births.
When was Minerva most popular? ▼
Minerva was most popular in the 1950s decade with 1,874 total births. The single peak year was 1955.
Where is Minerva most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Minerva are Texas (3,849 births), California (1,543 births), New York (1,499 births).
How long has the name Minerva been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Minerva since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Minerva? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Minnie, Mindy, Mina, Mindi, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Minerva's data
- Minerva's decade-level peak was the 1950s (1,874 total births); usage has since declined to 492 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Minervas (3,849 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Minerva
Nearby Names Like Minerva
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Minerva
Minnie Girl
#2694 159,280 births
Mindy Girl
#1985 42,615 births
Mina Girl
#609 19,267 births
Mindi Girl
4,405 births
Minna Girl
#4773 3,151 births
Compare Minerva side by side: Minerva vs Minnie Minerva vs Mindy Minerva vs Mina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Minerva
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Minerva: #2434 Girls' Name - 15,823 Births, Peak 1955." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/minerva. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Minerva draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.