Meenakshi
Having celestial and unblemished looks, a fish-shaped eye.
Name Census estimates that about 474 living Americans carry the first name Meenakshi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Meenakshi today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meenakshi births was 2024 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meenakshi. 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
474
~ 1 in 723,110 Americans
Peak year
2024
29 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,722
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Meenakshi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meenakshi from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 195 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Meenakshi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meenakshi 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 Meenakshi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Meenakshis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Meenakshi, while New York, New Jersey, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Meenakshi
The name Meenakshi has its origins in the Sanskrit language and is believed to have emerged during the ancient Vedic period in India, around the 1st millennium BCE. It is derived from the words "meen" meaning fish and "akshi" meaning eyes, thus signifying beautiful or fish-like eyes.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hindu scriptures, particularly in the Puranas. According to Hindu mythology, Meenakshi is another name for the goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. The name is associated with the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, which is dedicated to this form of the goddess.
In ancient Tamil literature, such as the Silappadikaram, a 5th-century epic, the name Meenakshi is mentioned as a beautiful and virtuous character. This suggests that the name was already in use during the early centuries of the common era.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Meenakshi was Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai (1815-1876), a renowned Tamil scholar and poet from the 19th century. Another notable figure was Meenakshi Mudaliar (1856-1914), a pioneering social reformer and activist from Madras Presidency, who advocated for women's education and rights.
In the field of literature, Meenakshi Mukherjee (1923-1998) was a renowned Indian writer and critic who made significant contributions to the study of Indian literature in English. Meenakshi Reddy (1925-2005), on the other hand, was a celebrated Indian classical dancer and choreographer, known for her expertise in Bharatanatyam.
More recently, Meenakshi Sheshadri (born 1954) is an Indian actress who gained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in several Bollywood and Tamil films. Her name, which means "fish-eyed goddess," reflects her Tamil heritage and the cultural significance of the name.
The name Meenakshi has a rich historical and cultural significance in India, particularly in the Tamil region, where it is closely associated with the goddess Parvati and the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple. Its connection to ancient scriptures, literature, and prominent individuals throughout history has contributed to its enduring popularity as a given name in various parts of the country.
People
Meenakshi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meenakshi 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
Meenakshi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meenakshi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 474 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meenakshi 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 723,110 US residents.
Is Meenakshi a common name?
We classify Meenakshi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 479 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meenakshi most popular?
The single biggest year for Meenakshi was 2024, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meenakshi is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Meenakshi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meenakshi 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.