Fun Facts About the Name Meiling
- 370 babies named Meiling: U.S. records list 370 babies given the name Meiling from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Meiling Mean?
Meiling is a Chinese given name, most commonly written 美玲 (Měilíng). The first character, 美 (měi), means "beautiful." The second, 玲 (líng), names the tinkling sound of jade and, by extension, describes something fine, delicate, or exquisite. Taken literally the pair suggests "beautiful jade tinkling"; as a name it is usually understood more simply as "beautiful and exquisite."
Because Chinese given names are built by pairing characters that share a sound, the same name can be written in more than one way, and the meaning follows the characters. The form 美齡 (simplified 美龄) uses 齡 / 龄, "years" or "age." Other common spellings are 梅玲, with 梅 (méi), "plum," and 玫玲, with 玫 (méi), "rose." The sound stays the same while the sense changes, so no single definition covers every person named Meiling.
Meiling Name History & Origins
Meiling is a two-character Chinese given name, following the usual Chinese pattern in which a family name such as Song, Chen, or Wang comes first and a given name of one or two characters follows. Both 美 and 玲 have long separate use in Chinese. 玲 belongs to the small set of characters built around jade; the compound 玲瓏 (línglóng) describes something intricately worked or softly tinkling, an image taken from jade ornaments. Parents who choose 玲 for a daughter are drawing on that sense of fineness and clarity, and the character is common in Chinese girls' names.
The best-known bearer outside China is Soong Mei-ling (1898 - 2003), wife of Chiang Kai-shek and a major figure in twentieth-century Chinese and Taiwanese public life. Her name is written 美齡, using the character for "years" or "age"; her sisters, Soong Ai-ling and Soong Ching-ling, share that same character. Her case shows how the sound "Meiling" has been written with different characters by different families rather than belonging to one fixed spelling.
The name is used in mainland China, Taiwan, and Chinese communities abroad. In pinyin it is written Méilíng, and in English it appears variously as Mei-ling, Mei Ling, or Meiling; the hyphenated style reflects older romanization habits that separated the two syllables of a given name.
How Popular is the Name Meiling?
Meiling 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 2005. Its best rank was #6,066 in 1983.
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 | #16,462 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #12,962 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #14,562 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #16,901 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #14,521 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #17,174 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #11,142 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #15,314 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #17,959 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #8,773 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #10,671 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #10,751 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2012 | #10,189 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #18,610 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #13,072 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #8,320 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #9,330 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #9,966 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #14,596 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #7,052 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #10,438 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #15,119 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #7,313 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #8,556 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #14,382 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #8,601 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #15,011 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #9,231 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #7,667 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1988 | #11,251 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #12,523 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #10,393 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #11,805 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #6,596 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #6,066 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #9,996 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #7,160 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #8,726 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #7,091 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1977 | #9,203 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #7,030 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #8,652 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #9,668 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #7,249 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #6,148 | 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 Meiling 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 find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Meiling's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Meiling's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.