Meng
Feminine Chinese name meaning "dream" or "celestial".
Name Census estimates that about 550 living Americans carry the first name Meng. It is a predominantly male name (97.7% of registrations). The average person named Meng today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meng births was 1993 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meng. 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
550
~ 1 in 623,190 Americans
Peak year
1993
41 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2013 SSA rank
#13,403
Tracked since 1979
Gender
Gender distribution for Meng
Meng leans heavily male at 97.7% of total registrations, but 13 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Meng as a male name
- Ranked #13,403 in 2013
- 5 male births in 2013
- Peak: 1993 (41 births)
Meng as a female name
- Ranked #13,491 in 2007
- 8 female births in 2007
- Peak: 2007 (8 births)
Popularity
Meng: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meng from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 258 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meng 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 Meng during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mengs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Minnesota, Wisconsin recorded the most babies named Meng, while New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 91 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Meng
The name Meng originates from the Chinese language and culture, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is believed to be derived from the Chinese character 孟, which can have various meanings such as "eldest son," "dawn," or "beginning."
In Chinese philosophy and literature, the name Meng is associated with the renowned Confucian scholar Mencius, also known as Meng Ke or Meng Zi, who lived from approximately 372 to 289 BCE. His teachings and writings, collectively known as the Mencius, are considered one of the four great books of Confucianism.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Meng was Meng Ben, a famous calligrapher and official who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). His calligraphic works are highly regarded and have influenced the development of Chinese calligraphy.
Another notable figure in Chinese history was Meng Tian, a military general and strategist who lived during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 CE). He served under the warlord Cao Cao and played a crucial role in several battles and campaigns.
In the realm of literature, Meng Haoran (689-740 CE) was a renowned poet of the Tang Dynasty. His works, known for their simplicity and natural imagery, have been widely studied and admired throughout the centuries.
Moving to more recent times, Meng Xiangchen (1870-1936) was a prominent Chinese educator and philosopher who advocated for educational reform and the integration of Western and traditional Chinese philosophies.
It is worth noting that while the name Meng has ancient roots in Chinese culture, its usage and popularity have spread beyond its place of origin, with individuals bearing this name found in various parts of the world.
People
Meng + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meng 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
Meng: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meng?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 550 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meng 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 623,190 US residents.
Is Meng a common name?
We classify Meng as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 568 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meng most popular?
The single biggest year for Meng was 1993, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meng is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Meng a male name?
Yes, 97.7% of people registered as Meng in the SSA data are male. 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.