Mildred
From the Old English Mildthryth, combining milde, meaning gentle, with thryth, meaning strength. A seventh-century abbess of this name kept it in use after the Norman Conquest.
Mildred in 2025
Mildred was given to 98 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 3,592nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 33,830 babies born.
The history of Mildred
Mildred reached its highest point in 1920, when 18,099 babies were given the name, ranking 14th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 11th, in 1908.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 452,998 babies have been named Mildred. Half of them were born before 1922, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Mildred by decade
| Decade | Babies named Mildred | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,924 | 99 |
| 1890s | 13,839 | 26 |
| 1900s | 36,325 | 11 |
| 1910s | 124,347 | 11 |
| 1920s | 147,624 | 14 |
| 1930s | 62,089 | 42 |
| 1940s | 33,212 | 111 |
| 1950s | 17,623 | 261 |
| 1960s | 7,707 | 515 |
| 1970s | 2,865 | 809 |
| 1980s | 1,378 | 1,503 |
| 1990s | 874 | 2,262 |
| 2000s | 807 | 3,429 |
| 2010s | 779 | 3,709 |
| 2020s | 605 | 3,378 |
Where Mildred is heading
Mildred has risen 11% over the past decade, from 88 babies in 2015 to 98 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1920 peak — Mildred is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Mildred
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Mildred.