Midnight
A literary name referring to the darkest part of night.
Name Census estimates that about 27 living Americans carry the first name Midnight. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 81.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Midnight today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Midnight births was 2022 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Midnight. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Midnight. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
27
~ 1 in 12,694,605 Americans
Peak year
2022
11 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,667
Tracked since 2005
Gender
Gender distribution for Midnight
Midnight leans heavily female at 81.5% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Midnight as a male name
- Ranked #13,667 in 2022
- 5 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2022 (5 births)
Midnight as a female name
- Ranked #14,734 in 2022
- 6 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2005 (8 births)
Popularity
Midnight: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Midnight from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 19 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Midnight 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 Midnight during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Midnight
The name Midnight has its origins in the English language, emerging during the late Middle Ages in England. Its roots can be traced back to the Old English words "mid" meaning "middle" and "niht" meaning "night." The name was initially used to describe the middle of the night or the darkest and most tranquil period between dusk and dawn.
As a given name, Midnight first appeared in written records during the 16th century, often assigned to children born around the hour of midnight. It was a symbolic name, reflecting the mystical and spiritual significance associated with the hour of transition between one day and the next.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Midnight was Sir Midnight Hawkins, an English nobleman born in 1572. He was known for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot, a failed attempt to assassinate King James I in 1605.
In the realm of literature, the name Midnight gained prominence in the 19th century with the publication of "Midnight's Children" by Salman Rushdie in 1981. The novel's protagonist, born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the moment of India's independence, was named Midnight.
Another notable figure with the name Midnight was Midnight Rider, a Lakota Sioux warrior and medicine man who lived in the late 19th century. He was renowned for his bravery and his role in preserving the traditions and spiritual practices of his tribe.
The name Midnight also found its way into the world of music with the birth of Midnight Star, an American R&B band formed in the late 1970s. The group's lead singer, Belinda Lipscomb, was often referred to by her stage name, Midnight.
In the realm of sports, Midnight Sun was the name given to a racehorse born in 1932. The thoroughbred achieved fame for her numerous victories on the racetrack, including the prestigious Kentucky Derby in 1936.
Throughout history, the name Midnight has been associated with a sense of mystery, intrigue, and a connection to the natural world. While not a common name, it has left an indelible mark on various aspects of culture, literature, and historical records.
People
Midnight + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Midnight 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
Midnight: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Midnight?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 27 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Midnight 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 12,694,605 US residents.
Is Midnight a common name?
We classify Midnight as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Midnight most popular?
The single biggest year for Midnight was 2022, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Midnight is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Midnight in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Midnight a female name?
Yes, 81.5% of people registered as Midnight 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.
Is Midnight still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Midnight in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Midnight can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Midnight?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.