Girls' name · since 1880
Monica
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 251,274 babies named Monica, peaking in 1979. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #164 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #736 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 251,274
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
Monica currently ranks #736 among girls' names in America, with 251,274 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Monica has been recorded 251,274 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #736 nationally and more common than 96% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #164 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #736 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 251,274 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Monica ranks #164 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #736 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 251,274 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #164 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #736 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 251,274
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
Monica's 251,274 recorded births place it above 99.77% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Monica compares
251,274 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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
Monica's all-time total is 668x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Monica | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 251,274 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,585 | 21 | 19,840 |
Monica's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Monica's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 94% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 6%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1883, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1979 peak of 6,585, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Monica popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1979)
- 6,585
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Monica popularity over time - boys
983 total births recorded since 1948 (Monica as boys' name)
Monica by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (61,680 births, 25% of the file).
1970s was Monica's strongest decade.
61,680 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Monica births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 89
1880s
89 births
- 1890s 277
1890s
277 births
- 1900s 505
1900s
505 births
- 1910s 1,739
1910s
1,739 births
- 1920s 2,067
1920s
2,067 births
- 1930s 2,469
1930s
2,469 births
- 1940s 4,657
1940s
4,657 births
- 1950s 18,722
1950s
18,722 births
- 1960s
1960s
45,192 births
- 1970s
1970s
61,680 births
- 1980s
1980s
51,863 births
- 1990s
1990s
38,895 births
- 2000s 14,690
2000s
14,690 births
- 2010s 6,074
2010s
6,074 births
- 2020s 2,355
2020s
2,355 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 61,680 births (25% of all-time use).
How Monica 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 Monica's total volume
Monica by state
Where Monica concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 46,076 | 18.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 31,291 | 12.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 14,497 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 12,795 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 10,074 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 9,911 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Florida | | 8,587 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 8,576 | 3.4% |
46,076 of 251,274 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Monica appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Monica? ▼
Where does Monica sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Monica most popular? ▼
Where is Monica most popular? ▼
How long has the name Monica been used? ▼
What names are similar to Monica? ▼
What to do with Monica's data
- Monica's decade-level peak was the 1970s (61,680 total births); usage has since declined to 2,355 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Monicas (46,076 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Monica
Nearby Names Like Monica
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Monica
Compare Monica side by side: Monica vs Monique Monica vs Mona Monica vs Monika
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Monica
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Monica: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1979)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Monica 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 August 2026.