Skip to content
rarebabynames.Name discovery

A LITTLE UNCOMMON. ENTIRELY YOURS.

Monica

Meaning, origin and pronunciation, with published usage by place and year.

Keep this name?

Checking your saved choices…

Share this name or preview its baby card in Discover.

Open sharing and baby cards in Discover

Meaning

Literal meaning uncertain.

The reviewed English entry traces the name through Latin Monica but describes the deeper meaning as uncertain, with possible Berber or Phoenician ancestry. Alone, advisor and other popular glosses are not adopted as settled translations.

Origin

Latin given-name tradition with uncertain deeper ancestry

The entry records Latin Monica as the given-name source and marks its deeper meaning uncertain, with Berber or Phoenician ancestry proposed. Greek or Latin folk-etymology meanings are not asserted as settled.

English pronunciation

/ˈmɒn.ɪ.kə/; /ˈmɑ.nɪ.kə/

Selected UK and US English readings differ in the first vowel. The separately recorded South Asian reading is not collapsed into this selected guide.

Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.

Published name usage

Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.

Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
PlaceYearRecorded usagePublished birthsRankNotes
Canada2025Girls30 · preliminary9162025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France2025Girls25 (rounded to 5)1324Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales2025Girls261229Published ranks differ from ranks calculated over visible rows. Counts retained; automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published.
Northern Ireland2008Girls3439Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland2024Girls3790Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland2023Girls4727Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States2025Girls371736Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States2004Boys97536Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.

Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.

Sources & notes

Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.

Meaning: Literal meaning uncertain.

Checked against cited source

The reviewed English entry traces the name through Latin Monica but describes the deeper meaning as uncertain, with possible Berber or Phoenician ancestry. Alone, advisor and other popular glosses are not adopted as settled translations.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Origin: Latin given-name tradition with uncertain deeper ancestry

Checked against cited source

The entry records Latin Monica as the given-name source and marks its deeper meaning uncertain, with Berber or Phoenician ancestry proposed. Greek or Latin folk-etymology meanings are not asserted as settled.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

English pronunciation: /ˈmɒn.ɪ.kə/; /ˈmɑ.nɪ.kə/

Checked against cited source

Selected UK and US English readings differ in the first vowel. The separately recorded South Asian reading is not collapsed into this selected guide.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Spelling variant: Monika

Checked against cited source

English given-name relationship. These spellings remain separate in popularity statistics.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

country_CA

View statistics source (link unavailable)

country_FR

View statistics source (link unavailable)

country_IE

View statistics source (link unavailable)

Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk

Attribution: Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

View statistics source

View licence

(C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

Attribution: (C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

View statistics source

View licence

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

View statistics source

View licence

U.S. Social Security Administration

Attribution: U.S. Social Security Administration

View statistics source

Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

License: Statistics Canada Open Licence

Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

View statistics source

View licence

Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.

Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.

License: CC BY 4.0

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.

View statistics source

View licence

Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.

View statistics source

View licence