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Rare

Medina

An Arabic name meaning "city" or "fortified town".

Name Census estimates that about 1,845 living Americans carry the first name Medina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Medina today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Medina births was 2024 (60 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Medina. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.

People living today

1.8K

~ 1 in 185,775 Americans

Peak year

2024

60 babies that year

Average age

29

years old

2024 SSA rank

#2,806

Tracked since 1948

Popularity

Medina: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Medina from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 391 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Medina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.

Babies born per year

01530456019501960197019801990200020102020

Decades

Medina by decade

The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Medina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1940s055
1950s08686
1960s0165165
1970s0213213
1980s0192192
1990s0307307
2000s0391391
2010s0352352
2020s0241241

Geography

Where Medinas live

The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. New York, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Medina, while Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 62 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Medina

The name Medina has its roots in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "madinah," which means "city" or "town." It is a name deeply rooted in Islamic culture and history, as it is closely associated with the city of Medina in modern-day Saudi Arabia.

The city of Medina holds immense significance in Islamic tradition as it was the destination of Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca in 622 CE, an event known as the Hijrah. This migration marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar and the establishment of the first Muslim community in Medina, which became the center of the Islamic faith during the early years of its spread.

Medina is mentioned numerous times in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, and is referred to as "Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah," which translates to "The Radiant City." The city's name is also mentioned in various Islamic texts and historical records, further solidifying its importance in the Islamic faith.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Medina can be found in the biography of Prophet Muhammad, as it was the name given to the city where he established the first Islamic community after his migration from Mecca.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Medina. One of the most famous is Medina Munawwara, also known as Fatima bint Muhammad (605-632 CE), the daughter of Prophet Muhammad and Khadijah. She is revered as one of the most important figures in Islamic history and is considered a role model for Muslim women.

Another notable figure is Medina Sidonia (1442-1492), a Spanish noblewoman who played a significant role in the Spanish Reconquista, the long-lasting military campaign that led to the end of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula.

In the field of literature, Medina Mayrig Gōhar (1914-2018) was an Armenian writer and poet who made significant contributions to the preservation of Armenian culture and language. Her works often explored themes of identity, tradition, and the Armenian diaspora experience.

Medina Zalepugo (1834-1903) was a prominent Georgian writer and feminist who advocated for women's rights and education in the 19th century. Her works addressed social issues and the need for reform, and she is considered a pioneer of the Georgian feminist movement.

Lastly, Medina Mejía (1899-1999) was a renowned Ecuadorian poet and writer whose work focused on themes of nature, indigenous culture, and the struggles of the working class. She is considered one of the most influential literary figures in Ecuador and played a significant role in the country's cultural and literary renaissance.

People

Medina + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Medina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Related

Other names starting with M

Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.

FAQ

Medina: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Medina?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,845 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Medina going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 185,775 US residents.

Is Medina a common name?

We classify Medina as "Rare". It ranks above 93.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,952 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Medina most popular?

The single biggest year for Medina was 2024, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Medina is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Medina a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Medina in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.

Where does this data come from?

First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.

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