Ming
A masculine name of Chinese origin meaning "bright" or "luminous".
Name Census estimates that about 469 living Americans carry the first name Ming. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 71.1% of registrations being male. The average person named Ming today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ming births was 1981 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ming. 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
469
~ 1 in 730,819 Americans
Peak year
1981
23 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,549
Tracked since 1920
Gender
Gender distribution for Ming
Ming is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 491 total registrations, 349 (71.1%) were male and 142 (28.9%) were female.
Ming as a male name
- Ranked #9,549 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1981 (14 births)
Ming as a female name
- Ranked #15,925 in 2013
- 6 female births in 2013
- Peak: 2000 (12 births)
Popularity
Ming: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ming from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 137 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
Ming 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 Ming during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mings live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ming
The name Ming originates from the Chinese language and culture. It is a unisex name that can be used for both males and females. The name Ming traces its roots back to the Chinese word "明" which means "bright" or "brilliant." This character is composed of the radicals for "sun" and "moon," symbolizing the idea of light and clarity.
In ancient Chinese philosophy and literature, the concept of "ming" was often associated with enlightenment, wisdom, and understanding. The name Ming was given to children with the hope that they would grow up to be intelligent, perceptive, and possess a deep understanding of the world around them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ming can be found in the Shijing, also known as the Book of Songs, a collection of ancient Chinese poetry and songs dating back to the early Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC - 256 BC). In this text, the name Ming was used as a metaphor for clarity and insight.
Throughout Chinese history, several notable figures have borne the name Ming. One of the most prominent was Ming Huang (685 AD - 762 AD), a renowned poet and calligrapher during the Tang Dynasty. His works are celebrated for their beauty and elegance, and he is regarded as one of the greatest literary figures of his time.
Another famous Ming was Ming Shan (1836 AD - 1896 AD), a prominent scholar and reformist during the late Qing Dynasty. He advocated for modernization and educational reforms, and his ideas influenced the subsequent Hundred Days' Reform movement in 1898.
In the realm of martial arts, Ming Zhen (1520 AD - 1595 AD) was a renowned Ming Dynasty general and master of the Shaolin Kung Fu style. He is credited with developing and popularizing many of the techniques and forms still practiced today.
Moving to more recent times, Ming Na Wen (born 1963) is a renowned American actress of Chinese descent. She is best known for her roles in films like Mulan and the hit television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Finally, Ming Wai Lau (born 1951) is a celebrated Hong Kong film director and producer. He has directed numerous critically acclaimed movies and is considered a pioneer of the Hong Kong New Wave cinema movement.
While the name Ming has its roots in ancient Chinese culture, it has transcended its origins and is now used globally, reflecting the diverse and far-reaching influence of Chinese civilization.
People
Ming + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ming 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
Ming: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ming?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 469 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ming 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 730,819 US residents.
Is Ming a common name?
We classify Ming as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 491 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ming most popular?
The single biggest year for Ming was 1981, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ming is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ming a male name?
Yes, 71.1% of people registered as Ming in the SSA data are male. 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.