Mildreth
A feminine name meaning "gentle strength" or "mild ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 43 living Americans carry the first name Mildreth. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mildreth today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mildreth births was 1897 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mildreth. 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 Mildreth. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
43
~ 1 in 7,971,031 Americans
Peak year
1897
7 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,836
Tracked since 1897
Popularity
Mildreth: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mildreth from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 33 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mildreth 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 Mildreth 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 Mildreth
The name Mildreth has its origins in Old English, derived from the elements "mild" meaning gentle or kind, and "ræd" meaning counsel or advice. It was a popular name among the Anglo-Saxons, particularly in the regions of what is now England and parts of northern Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mildreth can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and estates in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Mildreða" in reference to a landholder in Norfolk.
During the Middle Ages, Mildreth was a relatively common name among English noblewomen. One notable figure was Mildreth de Carew, born around 1190, who was the heiress of the powerful Carew family and married into the equally influential De Mohun family.
In the 13th century, a Benedictine abbess named Mildreth presided over the Abbey of St. Mary's in Barking, Essex. Her tenure was marked by the expansion of the abbey's lands and the construction of several new buildings.
The name enjoyed a resurgence in popularity during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in the United States. Mildreth Dudley, born in 1889, was a prominent American suffragist and activist who fought for women's right to vote and served as the president of the National Women's Party.
Another notable figure was Mildreth Troutt, born in 1917, who was a pioneering aviator and one of the first women to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II. She flew numerous military aircraft and was awarded the Air Medal for her service.
While the name Mildreth has become less common in recent decades, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of English names, carrying with it a sense of gentleness and wisdom from its Anglo-Saxon roots.
People
Mildreth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mildreth 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
Mildreth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mildreth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 43 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mildreth 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 7,971,031 US residents.
Is Mildreth a common name?
We classify Mildreth as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 66 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mildreth most popular?
The single biggest year for Mildreth was 1897, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mildreth is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mildreth a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mildreth 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.