Milinda
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "charming or lovely".
Name Census estimates that about 900 living Americans carry the first name Milinda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Milinda today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Milinda births was 1972 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Milinda. 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
900
~ 1 in 380,838 Americans
Peak year
1972
37 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,843
Tracked since 1945
Popularity
Milinda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Milinda from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 256 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Milinda 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 Milinda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Milindas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Milinda
The name Milinda has its origins in ancient India, specifically in the Pali language, which was a literary language of ancient India and is closely related to Sanskrit. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "milinda," which means "the slayer of enemies" or "the conquerer."
The earliest recorded use of the name Milinda can be found in the Buddhist text "Milindapanha," which is a collection of questions and answers between the Indo-Greek king Milinda (also known as Menander I) and the Buddhist sage Nāgasena. This text is believed to have been composed sometime between the 2nd century BCE and the 4th century CE in the northern Indian subcontinent.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the name Milinda was King Menander I, also known as Milinda, who ruled the Indo-Greek Kingdom in the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent during the 2nd century BCE. He is known for his interest in Buddhist philosophy and his dialogues with the Buddhist sage Nāgasena, which were recorded in the "Milindapanha."
Another notable figure with the name Milinda was Milinda Sirisena, a Sri Lankan politician who served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2019. He was born on September 26, 1951, and is known for his efforts to promote reconciliation between the different ethnic communities in Sri Lanka following the civil war.
In Indian history, there was a famous Buddhist scholar named Milinda Panha, who lived during the 5th century CE and is credited with composing several important Buddhist texts, including the "Milindapanha-Tika," a commentary on the "Milindapanha."
Another individual with the name Milinda was Milinda Moragoda, a Sri Lankan politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Economic Reform, Science, and Technology in Sri Lanka from 2001 to 2004. He was born on August 9, 1958, and has also served as the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India and as a member of the Sri Lankan Parliament.
In the field of literature, there was a Sri Lankan author and poet named Milinda Prasad Rajakaruna, who was born in 1948 and is known for his works in both Sinhala and English languages. He has written several collections of poetry and short stories, as well as translations of classic works into Sinhala.
People
Milinda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Milinda 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
Milinda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Milinda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 900 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Milinda 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 380,838 US residents.
Is Milinda a common name?
We classify Milinda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,033 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Milinda most popular?
The single biggest year for Milinda was 1972, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Milinda is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Milinda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Milinda 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.