Modestine
A feminine French name meaning "modest, humble, unassuming".
Name Census estimates that about 72 living Americans carry the first name Modestine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Modestine today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Modestine births was 1954 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Modestine. 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 Modestine is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Modestines were born before 1959.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Modestine. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
72
~ 1 in 4,760,477 Americans
Peak year
1954
12 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1962 SSA rank
#7,242
Tracked since 1918
Census
Modestine in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 164 people with the first name Modestine, which placed it at #43,191 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#43,191
National first-name rank
People counted
164
164 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
87.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Modestine
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Modestine is Black at 87.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Modestine described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Modestine at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.2% · 143
- White5.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 5
- Two or more races3.0% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 2
Popularity
Modestine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Modestine from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 60 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Modestine 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 Modestine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Modestines live
Origin
Meaning and history of Modestine
The name Modestine has its roots in the Latin language, originating from the word "modestus," which means "modest" or "restrained." This name gained prominence during the Roman era, particularly among the upper classes who valued humility and moderation as virtues.
In ancient Rome, the name Modestine was often given to girls born into influential families as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a modest and humble demeanor, even in the face of wealth and power. It was seen as a way to instill these values from an early age and help shape the character of the child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Modestine can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who mentioned a noblewoman named Modestine living during the 1st century AD. However, little is known about her life beyond her name.
During the Middle Ages, the name Modestine fell out of favor as it was perceived as too closely tied to pagan Roman culture. It wasn't until the Renaissance period that the name experienced a resurgence, particularly among humanist scholars who admired the classical virtues embodied by the name.
One notable figure from this time was Modestine de Limoges, a French poet and philosopher born in 1492. She was known for her works exploring themes of humility and self-reflection, which aligned with the meaning of her name.
In the 17th century, the name Modestine gained popularity among religious circles, particularly within the Catholic Church. One prominent figure was Modestine de Saint-Amour, a French nun born in 1628 who founded a convent dedicated to the education of young women.
Another individual of note was Modestine Guyon, a French mystic and writer born in 1648. She is remembered for her spiritual writings and her advocacy for a more personal and intimate relationship with God, which was considered radical at the time.
During the 19th century, the name Modestine became more widely used across Europe, although it remained relatively uncommon. One notable figure from this period was Modestine Ralston, an American actress and singer born in 1837, who performed on the vaudeville stage.
While the name Modestine has never been among the most popular names, it has endured throughout history, carrying with it a sense of humility and restraint – values that have been treasured across cultures and eras.
People
Modestine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Modestine 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
Modestine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Modestine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 72 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Modestine 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 4,760,477 US residents.
Is Modestine a common name?
We classify Modestine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 230 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Modestine most popular?
The single biggest year for Modestine was 1954, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Modestine is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Modestine in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 164 people with the name Modestine, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #43,191 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Modestine in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Modestine?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Modestine leans strongly female. 157 people counted with this name were female (95.2%), compared with 8 male bearers (4.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Modestine?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Modestine is Black at 87.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Modestine most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Modestine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (143 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Modestine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Modestine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Modestine 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 Modestine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Modestine 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 Modestine 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.
How many people share the name Modestine?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.