Minerva

Minerva: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “intellect; wisdom”
Origin: Latin
Say it: mih-NUR-vuh · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, crafts, and strategic war. The etymology is ancient and somewhat uncertain, but the name is firmly associated with wisdom.

Latin names English names Italian names Spanish names Names meaning wisdom Classic names Mythological names Literary names

How popular is Minerva?

202422.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Minerva in 202474

2024 rank#2,426 girls

Peak year1885

Total US babies since 188015,734

Minerva is rising: use over the last five years is 2.1× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Minerva

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Minnieof the mind; intellect · English
Camilayoung ceremonial attendant · Latin
Lunamoon · Latin
Auroradawn · Latin
Emilyrival · Latin
Norahonor · Latin
Lucylight · Latin
Gracegrace; favor · Latin

Minerva questions

What does the name Minerva mean?

Minerva means "intellect; wisdom". It comes from Latin. Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, crafts, and strategic war. The etymology is ancient and somewhat uncertain, but the name is firmly associated with wisdom.

Is Minerva a boy or girl name?

Minerva is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Minerva?

74 US babies were named Minerva in 2024. Its peak year was 1885.

How do you pronounce Minerva?

Minerva is usually pronounced mih-NUR-vuh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.