Given name & surname
Minka
“one who is resolute; having great strength”
Minka is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “one who is resolute; having great strength.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “one who is resolute; having great strength.”
Where it comes from
Minka comes from Middle Low German, and ultimately from Old Saxon.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Middle Low German mink, from Old Saxon mink//menk.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1966. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Minka through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 486
- 0 boys · 486 girls
- Most popular year
- 2012
- 43 babies
- 2025
- 20
- #6,047 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 20 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 6,047 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 0.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 43 in 2012. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 517 as a first name in 2020; 134 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Minka’s family of names
Minka has a related form in Minna. Minka has a related form in Minkah. Minka has a related form in Minne.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Minka
- Minka KellyAmerican actressborn 1980
- Minka GovekarSlovene translator (1874-1950), editor
- Minka CzóbelHungarian poet (1855–1947)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Minka, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Makenzy
Makenzy is a masculine given name from Haitian Creole. It is used in French.
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Milie
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