Minahil
Of Arabic origin, meaning "of beautiful character" or "one with pleasant manners".
Name Census estimates that about 338 living Americans carry the first name Minahil. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Minahil today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Minahil births was 2019 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Minahil. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Minahil with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
338
~ 1 in 1,014,066 Americans
Peak year
2019
35 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,654
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Minahil: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Minahil from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 204 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Minahil remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Minahil 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 Minahil during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Minahils live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Minahil, while Illinois, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Minahil
The name Minahil originates from the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic words "mina" meaning "desire" and "hil" meaning "new moon." The name is believed to have originated during the medieval Islamic period, around the 7th to 13th centuries.
Minahil is a feminine name that is primarily used in the Arab world and among Muslim communities. The name's connection to the new moon suggests a symbolic meaning of new beginnings, renewal, and beauty. It is often associated with the crescent moon, a significant symbol in Islamic culture and art.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Minahil can be found in the 10th-century Arabic poetry anthology "Kitab al-Aghani" (The Book of Songs), which includes references to a woman named Minahil who lived during the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE). However, the name may have been in use even earlier, as Arabic naming conventions often drew inspiration from nature and celestial bodies.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Minahil. In the 12th century, Minahil al-Baghdadi was a renowned Arabic calligrapher and poet from Baghdad. Her intricate calligraphic works were highly regarded during her time.
Another notable figure was Minahil al-Andalusi, a 13th-century Andalusian Islamic scholar and philosopher. She made significant contributions to the fields of logic, metaphysics, and epistemology.
In the 14th century, Minahil bint Ahmad al-Qurashi was a prominent Islamic jurist and scholar from Mecca. She was known for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her extensive knowledge of the Quran and Hadith.
During the 16th century, Minahil al-Dimashqi was a renowned Syrian calligrapher and artist. Her intricate calligraphic works adorned many mosques and buildings in Damascus and other parts of the Levant.
In more recent times, Minahil Siddiqui, a Pakistani cricketer born in 1993, has gained recognition for her achievements in the sport. She has represented Pakistan in various international tournaments and is known for her excellent batting skills.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Minahil throughout history, each contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on their respective societies and cultures.
People
Minahil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Minahil 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
Minahil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Minahil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 338 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Minahil 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 1,014,066 US residents.
Is Minahil a common name?
We classify Minahil as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 341 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Minahil most popular?
The single biggest year for Minahil was 2019, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Minahil is about 12 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 Minahil in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Minahil a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Minahil 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 Minahil still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Minahil 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 Minahil 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 common is the name Minahil?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.