How Many People Are Named Monica?
An estimated 218,861 people in the United States have the first name Monica. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #246 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 46 years old, and Monica peaked in popularity in 1979 with 6,619 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Monica as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Monica paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Monica is overwhelmingly female, 983 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Monica has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
218,861
About 1 in 1,566 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.6% confidence
Average Age
46
years old
Peak Year
1979
6,619 births
Total Registered
251,883
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Monica
Monica is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 251,883 total births registered, 99.6% were female.
Monica as a male name
Ranked #7,970 in 2004
9 male births in 2004
Peak: 1980 (43 births)
Monica as a female name
Ranked #726 in 2024
388 female births in 2024
Peak: 1979 (6,585 births)
Monica: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Monica span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 62,006 babies were registered. Monica has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Monica by Decade
How has Monica tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 89 | 0 | 89 | |
| 1890s | 277 | 0 | 277 | |
| 1900s | 505 | 0 | 505 | |
| 1910s | 1,739 | 0 | 1,739 | |
| 1920s | 2,067 | 0 | 2,067 | |
| 1930s | 2,469 | 0 | 2,469 | |
| 1940s | 4,662 | 5 | 4,657 | |
| 1950s | 18,736 | 14 | 18,722 | |
| 1960s | 45,316 | 124 | 45,192 | |
| 1970s | 62,006 | 325 | 61,681 | |
| 1980s | 52,199 | 335 | 51,864 | |
| 1990s | 39,058 | 165 | 38,893 | |
| 2000s | 14,706 | 15 | 14,691 | |
| 2010s | 6,072 | 0 | 6,072 | |
| 2020s | 1,982 | 0 | 1,982 | |
Monica by State
Birth registrations for Monica span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in New Hampshire, Vermont, Wyoming. On average, about 4,853 Monicas were registered per state.
Monica + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Monica as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Monica
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Monica: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Monica?
We estimate approximately 218,861 people named Monica are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,566 Americans share this first name.
Is Monica a common name?
Monica is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 251,883 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Monica most popular?
Monica reached peak popularity in 1979, when 6,619 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Monica is approximately 46 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Monica a female name?
Monica is predominantly female. 99.6% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Monica Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Monica Smith, Monica Johnson, Monica Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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