Names / Unisex names
Ming
Current rank
—
outside the top 1,000
All-time peak
#3,161
in 1981
First recorded
1920
in U.S. data
Children named
491
since 1920
Popularity over time
Annual U.S. children given the name · Peak #3,161 in 1981 · Source: Social Security Administration
Meaning & background
(MING): Chinese name or element often meaning bright, clear, or shining depending on character. Classic and globally recognizable. It enters U.S. records in American naming data in 1920. It now sits outside the national top 1,000, which keeps it uncommon. Only about 491 children have carried it, making it genuinely rare.