Mina

She is the novel’s moral centre, a resourceful woman who resists the vampire’s influence. Stoker’s choice cemented the name in Gothic fiction for over a century.

Mina ranks No. 608 in the US with 493 births. Its peak year in SSA records was 1880 at No. 175 with 73 births, reflecting the small population of that era.

The name is now higher in raw numbers than it has ever been, riding a wave of short vintage revivals.

Italian pop star Mina (born Anna Maria Mazzini) dominated the Italian charts from the 1960s onward and remains one of the best-selling European artists of all time.

In anime, Mina Ashido from My Hero Academia has introduced the name to a younger generation of fans worldwide.

At just 2 syllables and 4 letters, Mina is remarkably efficient. The initial nasal m flows into a bright ee vowel and resolves on an open ah, creating a sound that works across English, German, Arabic, Japanese and Hindi without alteration.

The name’s cross-cultural transparency is a major asset for internationally minded parents. Unlike many short names, Mina does not belong to any single tradition, which gives it a cosmopolitan quality that few 4-letter names can match.

In England and Wales Mina has entered the top 300, and it charts in Scandinavia, Germany and Iran.

Its simultaneous rise across multiple countries suggests a global trend rather than a local fashion, positioning it for continued growth through the late 2020s.