UK girl's name
Mimi
A French diminutive form of Marie, meaning "beloved" or "wished for child".
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.
Mimi is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Mimi popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1230, with 27 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 45 births.
This profile covers 843 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 60% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 843 living people in the UK are called Mimi. 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
- • Mimi ranked #1230 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 27 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2006, when 45 girls were registered as Mimi.
- • Mimi ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #668 in 2009.
- • About 843 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mimi as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1230
2024
Births in 2024
27
Latest year
Peak year
2006
45 births
Estimated living
843
2026
Meaning
What does Mimi mean?
The name Mimi is derived from the French language and has its origins dating back to the 17th century. It is a diminutive form of the French names Marie or Miriam, which were popular names during that time period. The name Mimi was commonly used as a pet name or nickname for those bearing the longer versions of the name.
In ancient times, the name Miriam appeared in Hebrew scriptures and was associated with the sister of Moses and Aaron. The name Miriam is thought to be derived from the ancient Egyptian word "mr" meaning "beloved" or "love." This connection to the biblical figure Miriam may have contributed to the popularity of the diminutive form Mimi in certain Christian cultures.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Mimi can be found in the literary works of the 18th century. Mimi was a character in the French novel "La Vie de Marianne" by Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux, published in 1731. The character's full name was Marie Mimi, showcasing the use of Mimi as a nickname.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mimi. One of the earliest was Mimi Pinson, a French singer and actress born in 1811. She was a popular performer in the Parisian cabarets of the 19th century and was immortalized in the famous song "La Vie de Mimi Pinson" by Alfred de Musset.
Another prominent figure was Mimi Aylmer, an English novelist and playwright born in 1867. She was known for her works exploring the lives of women in Victorian society, including the novel "The Rebels" published in 1905.
In the world of classical music, Mimi is the nickname of the character Mimì Pinson in the opera "La Bohème" by Giacomo Puccini. The opera, first performed in 1896, tells the story of a group of struggling artists in Paris, and Mimi's character is a seamstress who becomes the love interest of the poet Rodolfo.
More recently, Mimi Reinhardt was an American singer and actress born in 1915. She performed in numerous films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century, including roles in "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon."
Finally, Mimi Chakraborty is an Indian actress and politician born in 1988. She has starred in several Bengali films and was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, in 2019.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Mimi over time
The chart below shows babies named Mimi registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Mimi, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 27 births in 2024, compared with 45 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mimi by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mimi 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 | #1182 | 142 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1180 | 294 | 10 |
| 2000s | #823 | 350 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1428 | 57 | 4 |
Geography
Where Mimi is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Mimi. 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.
Mimi ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #668 in 2009.
Across the UK
Mimi in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#668 in 2009
1 years of NRS records, 4 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Mimi
-
Mimi Xu
tennis player
British tennis player
2007-
-
Mimi Keene
actor
British actress
1998-
-
Mimi Spencer
journalist
British journalist
1967-
-
Mimi Khalvati
writer; poet
British poet
1944-
-
Mimi Colahan
visual artist
1942-
-
Mimi Wyatt
badminton player
badminton player
1920-
-
Mimi Espinosa
dancer
dancer 1893-1936
1893-1936
-
Mimi Lok
writer
American author, editor, and educator
Related
Names similar to Mimi
- 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
Mimi: questions and answers
How popular is the name Mimi in the UK right now?
In 2024, Mimi was ranked #1230 for girls in England and Wales, with 27 births registered.
When was Mimi most popular?
The peak year on record was 2006, with 45 babies registered as Mimi in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Mimi?
A French diminutive form of Marie, meaning "beloved" or "wished for child".
How many people are called Mimi in the UK?
A total of 843 babies have been registered as Mimi across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 4 more in Scotland.
Where is Mimi most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Mimi ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #668 in 2009. 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.