Mina

About Mina

Mina is a short name with several independent histories. It can be a European familiar form, a Sanskrit-derived name meaning “fish,” Persian for “enamel,” or Pashto for “love.” It is also used as a masculine name in the Coptic tradition. The shared spelling brings together names that did not all develop from one source.

European and Asian traditions

In English and Dutch, Mina can shorten Wilhelmina and other names ending in mina. That makes its meaning dependent on the longer name. Minna is a nearby European form, while Wilhelmina preserves one of the established full names behind Mina.

In Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi, and Tamil, Mina comes from Sanskrit mīna, “fish,” also used for a zodiac sign. Meena is another Roman spelling associated with that name.

Persian Mina, written مینا, means “glaze” or “enamel.” Pashto Mina, written مينه, means “love.” These words have separate histories from the European shortening and from the Sanskrit fish name.

The Coptic masculine name, also represented as Mena or Menas, has a different ancient Egyptian and Greek background. Its existence helps explain why Mina should not be treated as exclusively feminine in an international account.

Mina in Dracula

Bram Stoker used Mina for a central character in Dracula, published in 1897. The name's presence in this enduring Gothic novel gives it one of its most familiar literary associations.

The character belongs to the European short-form setting. That literary connection sits alongside the name's other traditions rather than providing an explanation for the Persian, Pashto, or Indian names.

Mina in Italian music

Italian singer Mina, born Mina Anna Mazzini in 1940, made the first name internationally recognizable as a performer's single-name billing. Her early career included appearances under the name Baby Gate before she became established as Mina.

Her recordings include Il cielo in una stanza, Se telefonando, and Parole parole. She withdrew from live performance in 1978 but continued an extensive recording career, so the retreat from the stage did not mean an end to her music.

Her public identity gives Mina a strong Italian musical association, quite different from its literary setting in Dracula or its independent meanings in Asian languages.

Pronunciation and American use

English and Dutch Mina is approximately MEE-nuh, with stress on the first syllable. Persian and Pashto place the stress later, so a single English pronunciation does not represent every tradition.

For American girls, the count rose from 178 in 2000 to 266 in 2010. It reached its largest recorded total in 2023, with 512 births, and stood at 491 in 2025, ranked No. 597.

The name is also recorded for American boys, including 15 in 2025. The female series is much larger, but the smaller male record fits a name whose international history crosses customary gender boundaries.

How popular is Mina?

In 2025, Mina ranked #597 among girls in the United States, with 491 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 512 in 2023. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.