Fun Facts About the Name Monaco
- 82 babies named Monaco: U.S. records list 82 babies given the name Monaco from 1880 through 2025. Even 33 girls received the name Monaco.
What Does the Name Monaco Mean?
Monaco takes its name from the Principality of Monaco on the Mediterranean coast of France, and the personal name is the place name. That place name goes back to the ancient Greek Monoikos (Μόνοικος), the name of the harbor and settlement there in antiquity. It is usually explained as "single house" or "one dwelling," from monos, "alone" or "single," and oikos, "house." Greek and Roman writers connected the spot with Heracles Monoikos, "Heracles the solitary," who had a sanctuary at the harbor; that story is a later explanation attached to the name rather than its literal sense. A Phoenician or Punic origin has sometimes been proposed, tying Monoikos to the cult of Melqart, whom the Greeks identified with Heracles, but the derivation is not established. The Italian word monaco, "monk" (from Latin monachus), is spelled the same way but is a different word from a different source; Italian surnames written Monaco usually come from it rather than from the principality.
Monaco Name History & Origins
The Greek name Monoikos belonged to a harbor on the Ligurian coast that Greek traders, working west from Massalia (Marseille), used from around the sixth century BC. Ancient geographical writers describe the port and its temple of Heracles, and the link with the hero was strong enough that Roman sources refer to the harbor by his name; Latin writers used the form Monoecus. The traditional story that Heracles had lived or rested there alone, and that no other god was honored at the shrine, is built on the "solitary" sense of the Greek word rather than being an independent record of how the name arose.
In the Middle Ages the harbor lay within the orbit of Genoa. In 1297 a member of the Genoese Grimaldi family took the rock of Monaco, and the family has ruled it, with long interruptions, since then; the traditional account says the first Grimaldi entered the fortress disguised as a Franciscan friar, a detail that has nothing to do with the origin of the name. Monaco later became a principality, and in the seventeenth century its ruler took the title of prince. In the nineteenth century the reigning prince, Charles III, founded the Monte Carlo casino, and the principality became widely known outside Europe.
As a personal name, Monaco is uncommon. It appears mainly as a surname, especially in Italy, and is used only occasionally as a given name, in reference to the principality.
How Popular is the Name Monaco?
Monaco 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 2024. Its best rank was #5,167 in 2024.
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 | #8,196 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2024 | #9,995 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #10,167 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,519 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #5,167 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #11,783 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #6,711 | 13 | 0.0007% |
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 Monaco 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 very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Monaco's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Monaco's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.