Girls' name · peaked in 1973
Monica name popularity since 1925
248,557 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Monica. Half of them were born in 1978 or earlier, so the typical Monica is about 48 years old in 2026. Monica peaked in 1973 as the #40 name for girls, and it ranked #737 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 248,557
- Named Monica, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #737
- for girls in 2025 (371 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% girls
- 247,574 girls · 983 boys
- Most popular in
- New Mexico
- 2.21× its national share
Peak year is the year Monica made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Monica births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1979. Measured as a share of all babies, Monica peaked in 1973.
- Fastest rise: Between 1946 and 1951, Monica became 2.5× more common, from 1 in 3,440 baby girls to 1 in 1,390.
- Steepest fall: Between 1996 and 2001, its share of baby girls fell by 60%, from 1 in 405 to 1 in 1,000.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Monica's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Monica.
Decade by decade
Babies named Monica in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 977 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 2,469 | 0 | #352 |
| 1940s | 4,657 | 5 | #339 |
| 1950s | 18,722 | 14 | #182 |
| 1960s | 45,192 | 124 | #72 |
| 1970s | 61,680 | 325 | #49 |
| 1980s | 51,863 | 335 | #61 |
| 1990s | 38,895 | 165 | #87 |
| 2000s | 14,690 | 15 | #238 |
| 2010s | 6,074 | 0 | #559 |
| 2020–25 | 2,355 | 0 | #737 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
37.9% of babies named Monica from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen X years (1965–1980). The full split by generation:
Where Monica is most popular
The index compares Monica's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Monica.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 2.21× | 3,035 |
| California | 1.76× | 46,314 |
| District of Columbia | 1.68× | 1,917 |
| Texas | 1.61× | 31,329 |
| Arizona | 1.54× | 4,968 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Monica and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Monica (this page) | 247,574 | 1973 |
| Monika | 9,810 | 1996 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Monica's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Monica.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Monica (1973).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data