Moniqua
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Marie or Monica.
Name Census estimates that about 388 living Americans carry the first name Moniqua. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Moniqua today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Moniqua births was 1992 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Moniqua. 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
388
~ 1 in 883,387 Americans
Peak year
1992
43 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2002 SSA rank
#13,182
Tracked since 1970
Census
Moniqua in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 338 people with the first name Moniqua, which placed it at #27,177 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
#27,177
National first-name rank
People counted
338
338 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
63.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moniqua
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Moniqua is Black at 63.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.5%) and Hispanic (12.7%). 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 Moniqua 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 Moniqua at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.3% · 214
- White14.5% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino12.7% · 43
- Two or more races7.4% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Popularity
Moniqua: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Moniqua from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 192 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
Moniqua 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 Moniqua during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Moniquas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Moniqua
The name Moniqua has its origins in the Late Latin language and culture. It is derived from the Latin word "monicus", which means "advisor" or "counselor". This name first appeared in written records during the 6th century AD, when it was used by Christian scholars and theologians.
During the Middle Ages, the name Moniqua gained popularity in some parts of Europe, particularly in regions that were heavily influenced by Latin culture. It was often given to individuals who were known for their wisdom and ability to provide guidance to others.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Moniqua was a 7th-century nun from what is now modern-day France. She was known for her piety and her dedication to helping those in need.
In the 12th century, there was a notable Italian philosopher and theologian named Moniqua of Mantua (1120-1192). She was renowned for her writings on ethics and theology, and her works were widely studied by scholars of the time.
Another notable figure with the name Moniqua was a 15th-century Spanish nun and mystic, Moniqua of Agreda (1602-1665). She is remembered for her visions and her writings on spiritual matters, which were influential in her time.
During the Renaissance period, the name Moniqua was sometimes used by artists and writers as a pseudonym or pen name. For example, the Italian painter and architect Moniqua da Cortona (1475-1549) was known for her frescoes and architectural designs.
In the 17th century, there was a French philosopher and mathematician named Moniqua Descartes (1596-1650). She is considered one of the key figures in the scientific revolution and is best known for her philosophical writings on rationalism and her contributions to the development of analytical geometry.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Moniqua. While its usage has fluctuated over time, the name has maintained its associations with wisdom, guidance, and intellectual pursuits.
People
Moniqua + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Moniqua 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
Moniqua: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Moniqua?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 388 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Moniqua 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 883,387 US residents.
Is Moniqua a common name?
We classify Moniqua as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 409 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Moniqua most popular?
The single biggest year for Moniqua was 1992, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Moniqua is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Moniqua in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 338 people with the name Moniqua, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,177 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 Moniqua 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 Moniqua?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Moniqua appears almost entirely female. Of the 329 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Moniqua?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Moniqua is Black at 63.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.5%) and Hispanic (12.7%). 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 Moniqua most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Moniqua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.3% (214 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 Moniqua in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Moniqua a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Moniqua 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 Moniqua still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Moniqua 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 Moniqua 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 have the name Moniqua?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.