Monya
A feminine name of Slavic origin meaning "solitary, alone".
Name Census estimates that about 528 living Americans carry the first name Monya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Monya today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Monya births was 1970 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Monya. 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
528
~ 1 in 649,156 Americans
Peak year
1970
27 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2011 SSA rank
#18,696
Tracked since 1935
Popularity
Monya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Monya from the 1930s through to the 2010s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 182 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Monya 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 Monya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Monyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Monya
The name Monya originates from the Russian language and culture, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is a diminutive form of the Russian name Mokrina, which itself is derived from the Greek name Maura, meaning "dark-skinned" or "dark-complexioned."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Monya was Monya Mikhailovna Pryakhina, a Russian noblewoman who lived in the late 16th century. She was a prominent figure in the court of Tsar Fyodor I and played a significant role in the political intrigues of the era.
In the 17th century, another notable Monya was Monya Fedorovna Naryshkina, a Russian aristocrat and the second wife of Tsar Alexis I. She was instrumental in securing the throne for her son, Peter the Great, and served as his influential advisor during his early reign.
Monya Tsatskis (1875-1942) was a prominent Jewish writer and journalist from Ukraine. She was known for her works exploring themes of social injustice and the plight of women in Russian society. Tragically, she perished during the Holocaust.
Another historical figure with the name Monya was Monya Elson (1886-1948), a Russian-American artist and illustrator. She was particularly renowned for her illustrations in children's books and her depictions of Russian folklore and fairy tales.
Monya Ravan (born Monya Roberta Rambus in 1936) is an American singer and actress, best known for her involvement in the 1960s counterculture movement and her performances with the rock band Goldie and the Gingerbreads. She has had a long and influential career in the entertainment industry.
While the name Monya may have its roots in Russia, it has transcended cultural boundaries and found its way into various other languages and cultures over time, becoming a unique and distinctive name with a rich historical tapestry.
People
Monya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Monya 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
Monya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Monya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 528 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Monya 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 649,156 US residents.
Is Monya a common name?
We classify Monya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 663 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Monya most popular?
The single biggest year for Monya was 1970, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Monya is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Monya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Monya 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.
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.