Minnis
A variant of the given name Minnie, of Scottish origin.
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Minnis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Minnis today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Minnis births was 1936 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Minnis. 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 Minnis is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Minnis' were born before 1963.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Minnis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1936
6 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1936 SSA rank
#3,415
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Minnis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Minnis from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Minnis 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 Minnis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Minnis' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Minnis
The name Minnis is believed to have originated from the Old English word "mynydd," meaning "mountain." This suggests that the name may have roots in the Anglo-Saxon or early British cultures, dating back to the 5th to 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Minnis can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Here, the name appears as a place name, referring to a settlement or location, likely named after an individual with the given name Minnis.
In the 12th century, the name Minnis was mentioned in the chronicles of the Benedictine monk, William of Malmesbury. He documented the life of a prominent figure named Minnis, who was a landowner and influential member of the community in the region of Wiltshire, England.
During the Middle Ages, the name Minnis gained some popularity among the nobility and upper classes of England. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Minnis de Beauchamp (1285-1349), a knight and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the French.
In the 16th century, the name Minnis was documented in the parish records of the village of Minnis Bay, located in Kent, England. This suggests that the name may have been particularly prevalent in certain regions or areas of the country during this period.
Another historical figure with the name Minnis was Minnis Cooper (1608-1677), an English physician and author who wrote several treatises on medical topics, including "The Anatomy of Man's Body" and "The Compleat Distiller."
Throughout the centuries, the name Minnis has been borne by various individuals across different walks of life, including artists, scholars, and tradesmen. For example, Minnis Frampton (1770-1846) was a renowned English painter known for his landscapes and portraits, while Minnis Woodhouse (1857-1932) was a respected architect who designed several notable buildings in London.
While the name Minnis has its roots in Old English and early British cultures, it has since spread to other parts of the world, likely through migration and cultural exchange. However, the name remains relatively uncommon, with few notable bearers in recent times.
People
Minnis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Minnis 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
Minnis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Minnis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Minnis 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Minnis a common name?
We classify Minnis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Minnis most popular?
The single biggest year for Minnis was 1936, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Minnis is about 73 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 Minnis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Minnis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Minnis 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.
Is Minnis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Minnis 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 Minnis 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 many people share the name Minnis?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.