Fun Facts About the Name Molina
- 228 babies named Molina: U.S. records list 228 babies given the name Molina from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Molina Mean?
Molina is a Spanish surname that means "mill." It comes from Spanish molina, "mill," which descends from Latin molina, the plural of molinum, a form built on the verb molere, "to grind." Latin mola, "millstone," belongs to the same word family.
Because molina named a mill and the work done there, the surname began as a topographic or occupational byname: it identified a person who lived at or worked in a mill, or a person from one of the Spanish places called Molina. The place names and the surname draw on the same word, so these are not competing etymologies but two paths to the same meaning. Used as a first name, Molina keeps its literal sense of "mill."
Molina Name History & Origins
The word behind Molina goes back to Latin molina, "mills," plural of molinum, from molere, "to grind." Ibero-Romance kept the term as molina, "mill," a form that survived mainly in place names and surnames, while the everyday Spanish word for a mill became molino. Several Spanish towns bear the name, including Molina de Aragón in the province of Guadalajara and Molina de Segura in Murcia.
From those places and from the common noun, the byname Molina arose in medieval Spain and became a hereditary family name. It traveled with Spanish settlement to Latin America and the Philippines, where it is still common. The Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina (1535 - 1600), whose teaching on grace and free will became known as Molinism, is a well-known historical bearer of the surname.
As a first name, Molina belongs to the modern habit of using surnames in first position. It is used occasionally as a given name in English-speaking countries, especially where Spanish family names are familiar, but it remains far more common as a surname.
How Popular is the Name Molina?
Molina 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 1971. Its best rank was #3,231 in 1971.
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 | #14,373 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #14,602 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #14,702 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #11,796 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #13,358 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #13,659 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #18,016 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #18,394 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #13,076 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #16,164 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #13,225 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #15,815 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #9,279 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #17,100 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #14,427 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #13,863 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #13,578 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #10,478 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #11,390 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #9,291 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #12,895 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #11,078 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #14,459 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #13,790 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #11,287 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #10,024 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #9,925 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #10,829 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #7,318 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #10,312 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #10,039 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #7,404 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #3,231 | 21 | 0.0013% |
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.
Explore More Lists with Name Molina
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with M
How the Name Molina 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 are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Molina's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Molina's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.