Girl · Latin, probably from Etruscan
Minerva
Say it: mih-NUR-vuh
Meaning
The Roman goddess of wisdom; probably from Etruscan Menrva. The link to Latin mens 'mind' is old but uncertain.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Used in Victorian America and Latin America as a classical name.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1880s
In the United States
- 15,401 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1885, about 1 in 1,700 girls
- 69 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
| French | Minerve |
|---|
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Roman literature and history (Livy, Cicero, Tacitus and others)
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.