UK girl's name
Mena
An Egyptian name meaning "she who is enduring and timeless".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Mena is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Mena popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5891, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2009, with 9 births.
This profile covers 127 England and Wales registrations across 23 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 33% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 129 living people in the UK are called Mena. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Mena ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2009, when 9 girls were registered as Mena.
- • Mena ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #440 in 2016.
- • About 129 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mena as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5891
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
2009
9 births
Estimated living
129
2026
Meaning
What does Mena mean?
The name Mena has its origins in ancient Egypt, where it was derived from the Egyptian word "mn", meaning "established" or "enduring". It was a popular name among the pharaohs and nobility of ancient Egypt, reflecting the desire for longevity and stability.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mena is from the First Dynasty of Egypt, around 3100 BCE. Mena, also known as Narmer, was the first pharaoh to unite Upper and Lower Egypt, ushering in a period of political and cultural advancement. His name is mentioned in the Palermo Stone, an ancient Egyptian historical record, and his achievements are immortalized in various archaeological findings.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Mena was also the name of a minor deity associated with fertility and regeneration. The name appears in some religious texts and inscriptions, reflecting its cultural significance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mena. One of the most famous was Menes (c. 3100 BCE), the legendary first pharaoh of a unified Egypt, who is believed to have founded the city of Memphis. Another notable figure was Menander (342-292 BCE), a Greek dramatist from Athens who was celebrated for his witty and insightful comedies.
In the realm of literature, Mena is the name of a character in the ancient Greek novel "An Ephesian Tale" by Xenophon of Ephesus (c. 2nd-3rd century CE). This work is considered one of the earliest examples of the novel genre in Western literature.
Moving forward in time, Mena Sardo (1489-1559) was an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of Renaissance mathematics. He is particularly renowned for his work on algebraic equations and his efforts to popularize the use of symbolic notation in mathematics.
Additionally, Mena Massoud (born 1991) is a contemporary Egyptian-Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of Aladdin in the 2019 live-action film of the same name. His portrayal of the iconic character has brought renewed attention to the name Mena in modern times.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Mena over time
The chart below shows babies named Mena registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Mena, the clearest high point is 2009. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 9 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mena by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mena was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4752 | 20 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3551 | 47 | 7 |
| 2000s | #3145 | 57 | 10 |
| 1990s | #3848 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Mena is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Mena. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Mena ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #440 in 2016.
Across the UK
Mena in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#440 in 2016
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Mena
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Mena: questions and answers
How popular is the name Mena in the UK right now?
In 2024, Mena was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Mena most popular?
The peak year on record was 2009, with 9 babies registered as Mena in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Mena?
An Egyptian name meaning "she who is enduring and timeless".
How many people are called Mena in the UK?
A total of 127 babies have been registered as Mena across the 23 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Mena most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Mena ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #440 in 2016. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.