Mignonne
A French feminine name meaning "lovely" or "delicate".
Name Census estimates that about 31 living Americans carry the first name Mignonne. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mignonne today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mignonne births was 1948 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mignonne. 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
- • The typical person named Mignonne is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Mignonnes were born before 1967.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mignonne. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
31
~ 1 in 11,056,592 Americans
Peak year
1948
11 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1965 SSA rank
#5,628
Tracked since 1912
Census
Mignonne in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 189 people with the first name Mignonne, which placed it at #39,747 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#39,747
National first-name rank
People counted
189
189 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
60.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mignonne
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mignonne is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mignonne described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mignonne at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.8% · 115
- Black or African American26.5% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.8% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 9
- Two or more races2.1% · 4
Popularity
Mignonne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mignonne from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 39 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Mignonne remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mignonne 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 Mignonne 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 Mignonne
The name Mignonne is derived from the French language and has its origins dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have stemmed from the Old French word "mignon," which means delicate, dainty, or graceful. This term was initially used to describe something small, pretty, or charming.
During the Renaissance period, the name Mignonne gained popularity among the French aristocracy and was often used as a term of endearment or a nickname for a beloved person. It became a common given name for young girls from noble families, reflecting the delicate and graceful qualities associated with the word.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mignonne can be found in the works of the 16th-century French poet Pierre de Ronsard. In his collection of love poems, "Les Amours," he frequently addressed his beloved as "Mignonne," signifying her charm and beauty.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Mignonne. One of the most famous was Mignonne d'Aubigne (1552-1620), a French noblewoman and the mother of the renowned philosopher and writer, Francois de La Rochefoucauld. She was known for her intelligence and literary skills.
Another historical figure was Mignonne de Valois (1553-1619), a French princess and the daughter of King Henry II of France. She was a prominent figure at the court of her brother, King Henry III, and was known for her beauty and wit.
In the 17th century, Mignonne de Blocqueville (1612-1684) was a French courtier and lady-in-waiting to Queen Marie de' Medici. She played a significant role in the court intrigues of her time and was renowned for her intelligence and political acumen.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Mignonne de Montansier (1737-1820) was a French actress, theater manager, and entrepreneur. She was a pioneering figure in the theatrical world and is credited with establishing one of the first professional theater companies in France.
Lastly, Mignonne Godefroid (1857-1923) was a Belgian painter and etcher who gained recognition for her intricate and detailed works depicting nature and landscapes. She was a member of the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels and is considered one of the foremost female artists of her time.
People
Mignonne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mignonne 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
Mignonne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mignonne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 31 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mignonne 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 11,056,592 US residents.
Is Mignonne a common name?
We classify Mignonne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 110 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mignonne most popular?
The single biggest year for Mignonne was 1948, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mignonne is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mignonne in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 189 people with the name Mignonne, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #39,747 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mignonne in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mignonne?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mignonne leans strongly female. 182 people counted with this name were female (98.4%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mignonne?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mignonne is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mignonne most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mignonne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.8% (115 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Mignonne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mignonne a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mignonne 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 Mignonne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mignonne 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 Mignonne 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.
How common is the name Mignonne?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Mignonne, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.