Monee
A unisex name with various potential origins or spellings.
Name Census estimates that about 436 living Americans carry the first name Monee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Monee today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Monee births was 1997 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Monee. 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
436
~ 1 in 786,134 Americans
Peak year
1997
29 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2020 SSA rank
#16,754
Tracked since 1965
Census
Monee in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 445 people with the first name Monee, which placed it at #22,388 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
#22,388
National first-name rank
People counted
445
445 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
71.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Monee
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Monee is Black at 71.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Hispanic (8.1%). 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 Monee 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 Monee at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.2% · 317
- White11.7% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 36
- Two or more races4.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 7
Popularity
Monee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Monee from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 201 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Monee 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 Monee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Monees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Monee, while New Jersey, Illinois, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Monee
The given name Monee has its roots in the Sanskrit language, originating in ancient India around the 5th century BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "muni," which means a sage, wise person, or spiritual seeker. The name is also linked to the concept of silence, solitude, and inner contemplation in Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
In the ancient Hindu texts, such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, the term "muni" is often used to refer to enlightened sages who had attained a deep understanding of the divine and the nature of existence through intense spiritual practices. The name Monee may have been bestowed upon individuals who exhibited similar qualities of wisdom, introspection, and a quest for spiritual knowledge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Monee can be traced back to the 7th century CE, when a Buddhist monk and scholar named Monee Shingon is believed to have lived in Japan. He is credited with introducing the esoteric teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism to the Japanese archipelago.
In the medieval period, a renowned Hindu philosopher and spiritual teacher named Monee Shankaracharya, born in 788 CE, played a significant role in reviving the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. His teachings and writings had a profound impact on the spiritual landscape of India and continue to be studied and revered by scholars and seekers alike.
Another notable figure bearing the name Monee was Monee Ravidass, a 15th-century Indian mystic and poet from the Untouchable caste. His devotional poetry, which emphasized the equality of all human beings and the pursuit of a direct connection with the divine, had a profound influence on the Bhakti movement and the social reform movements in India.
In the 18th century, Monee Sahib, a Sikh warrior and spiritual leader, played a pivotal role in defending the Sikh community against oppression and persecution. He is remembered for his bravery, devotion, and unwavering commitment to upholding the principles of the Sikh faith.
While the name Monee has its origins in ancient India, it has transcended cultural boundaries and been adopted by individuals across different regions and religions. The name continues to carry the essence of wisdom, spirituality, and a deep connection with the divine, reflecting the rich heritage and profound teachings of the sages and mystics who bore this name throughout history.
People
Monee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Monee 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
Monee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Monee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 436 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Monee 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 786,134 US residents.
Is Monee a common name?
We classify Monee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 456 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Monee most popular?
The single biggest year for Monee was 1997, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Monee is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Monee in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 445 people with the name Monee, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,388 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 Monee 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 Monee?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Monee leans strongly female. 426 people counted with this name were female (96.6%), compared with 15 male bearers (3.4%). 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 Monee?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Monee is Black at 71.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Hispanic (8.1%). 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 Monee most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Monee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (317 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 Monee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Monee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Monee 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 Monee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Monee 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 Monee 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 are called Monee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.