Modine
A feminine name borrowed from a French surname, meaning unknown.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Modine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Modine today is around 102 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Modine births was 1925 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Modine. 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 Modine is about 102 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Modines were born before 1934.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Modine. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1925
14 babies that year
Average age
102
years old
1934 SSA rank
#4,148
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Modine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Modine from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 82 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Modine remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Modine 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 Modine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Modines live
Origin
Meaning and history of Modine
The name Modine is believed to have its roots in the Old French language, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the name Maudine, which was derived from the Germanic name Matilda or Mahthildis, meaning "mighty battle."
During the Middle Ages, the name Maudine gained popularity in parts of France and eventually evolved into the spelling Modine. This version of the name was particularly common in the northern regions of France, where it was often bestowed upon girls born into noble or aristocratic families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Modine can be found in the annals of the Duchy of Normandy, where a noblewoman named Modine de Montfort was mentioned in a medieval chronicle from the 12th century. This historical reference suggests that the name had already established itself as a distinctive French name by that time.
In the 13th century, a French nun named Modine de Beauvais was celebrated for her piety and devotion to religious life. Her legacy as a holy woman contributed to the name's association with virtues such as humility and spirituality.
During the Renaissance period, the name Modine gained further visibility with the birth of Modine de Valois, a French princess and member of the royal House of Valois in the 16th century. Her presence at the court of King Henry II of France likely helped to popularize the name among the nobility.
Another notable figure bearing the name Modine was a 17th-century French artist named Modine Le Brun, who was renowned for her portraits and became a prominent member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris.
In the 18th century, Modine de Montesquieu, a French noblewoman and author, gained recognition for her literary works and her involvement in the salons of the Enlightenment era.
While the name Modine has seen a decline in popularity in modern times, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of French nomenclature, carrying with it a historical legacy that spans several centuries and various social strata.
People
Modine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Modine 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
Modine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Modine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Modine 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Modine a common name?
We classify Modine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 152 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Modine most popular?
The single biggest year for Modine was 1925, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Modine is about 102 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 Modine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Modine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Modine 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 Modine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Modine 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 Modine 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 have Modine as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.