Fun Facts About the Name Meena
- More than 1 thousand babies named Meena: U.S. records list 1,592 babies given the name Meena from 1880 through 2025. Even 12 boys received the name Meena - about 1 boy for every 132 girls.
What Does the Name Meena Mean?
Meena is chiefly a feminine given name in South Asia. Its most common explanation is that it comes from Sanskrit mīna (मीन), "fish," with the feminine form mīnā (मीना) giving the name. In Hindu tradition the fish is associated with Matsya, the fish avatar of Vishnu, and the word is an old and ordinary one in Sanskrit. Meena is also widely treated as a short form of the longer Indian name Meenakshi, "fish-eyed" - an epithet of the goddess Parvati and the name of the presiding goddess of the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
A second, separate source is Persian: mīnā (مینا) means "enamel," "glaze," or "azure," referring to the blue enamel and glasswork of Persian craft, and the word is also the name of a flower. Persian Mina is a traditional feminine name in Iran, and some South Asian Muslim families use the spelling Meena for it. The Sanskrit and Persian explanations are independent; the two words are not known to be related.
Meena Name History & Origins
The Sanskrit name rests on the ordinary word mīna, "fish," which is familiar from the Matsya story in which Vishnu takes the form of a fish. The related longer name Meenakshi, literally "fish-eyed," became a major devotional name through the goddess of Madurai, where Meenakshi is worshipped as the consort of Sundareshvara, a form of Shiva. Meena is used as a girl's name throughout India and in Indian communities abroad, both on its own and as a shortened form of Meenakshi. It is also common in Pakistan and among South Asian Muslims, where it may reflect the Persian name rather than the Sanskrit word.
Meena is additionally the name of a large community in Rajasthan, in northwestern India. Writers have sometimes linked the community name to the Sanskrit word for fish, and members have at times traced descent to a fish lineage, but the origin of that community name is not settled and it should not be assumed to be identical with the personal name.
Persian Mina has its own separate history. It is a traditional feminine name in Iran, and the word also serves in Persian poetry as an image of blue glass or enamel, tying it to the glazes of Persian ceramics and tilework.
In English-speaking countries, Meena is also met as a spelling of the name Mina, which in Europe is used as a short form of names such as Wilhelmina and which appears independently in Jewish communities in central and eastern Europe. Those European uses have different origins from the South Asian name and should not be blended with it.
How Popular is the Name Meena?
Meena has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2008. Its best rank was #3,066 in 2023.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,749 | 40 | 0.0025% |
| 2024 | #4,083 | 36 | 0.0022% |
| 2023 | #3,066 | 54 | 0.0034% |
| 2022 | #3,451 | 46 | 0.0028% |
| 2021 | #3,592 | 43 | 0.0026% |
| 2020 | #3,763 | 39 | 0.0024% |
| 2019 | #4,123 | 35 | 0.0021% |
| 2018 | #3,376 | 47 | 0.0028% |
| 2017 | #3,602 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 2016 | #3,502 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2015 | #5,245 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2014 | #3,762 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 2013 | #3,682 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2012 | #3,889 | 40 | 0.0023% |
| 2011 | #4,125 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 2010 | #4,081 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2009 | #3,846 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 2008 | #3,147 | 54 | 0.0029% |
| 2007 | #3,892 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2006 | #3,292 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 2005 | #3,563 | 42 | 0.0023% |
| 2004 | #3,155 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 2003 | #3,572 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2002 | #3,566 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2001 | #4,002 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2000 | #3,952 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1999 | #4,167 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1998 | #3,891 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1997 | #5,343 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #3,901 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1995 | #3,840 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1994 | #3,756 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1993 | #4,610 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1992 | #5,633 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1991 | #6,145 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1990 | #6,344 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1989 | #6,806 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1988 | #3,857 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1987 | #5,000 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1986 | #10,389 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #4,226 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1984 | #4,430 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1983 | #6,064 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #4,464 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1981 | #5,134 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1980 | #5,432 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #4,349 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1978 | #3,716 | 20 | 0.0013% |
| 1977 | #4,562 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1976 | #6,395 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #6,262 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #4,911 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1973 | #7,138 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #6,338 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #7,086 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #4,962 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #6,734 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #7,471 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #6,263 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | #8,103 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #6,662 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Meena Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Meena's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Meena's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.