Mina Koferl

Traditionally speaking Mina has always been considered the pet form of Wilhelmina, but technically speaking it could be the short form for any name that contains the “mina” suffix (Amina, Hermina, etc). Wilhelmina is the German, Dutch and Polish feminine form of Wilhelm (equivalent to the English William). The name is ultimately derived from the Germanic elements “wil” meaning “will, desire” and “helm” meaning “helmet, protection”. Put them together, you’ve got a desire for protection; thus, the name William has come to stand for a valiant protector. The English borrowed Wilhelmina from the Germans and Dutch in the 19th century and Mina is considered a diminutive used by all speakers as both a pet form and an independent name. In fact, Wilhelmina has become passé in terms of fashionable use (although the Dutch still use the name with respectable moderation). Mina, on the contrary, is quite popular in Norway and Serbia today and enjoys moderate usage in Germany, Sweden, France and the Netherlands. Aside from Mina’s clear connection to Wilhelmina, the name also has totally separate etymological roots in Hindu. In Sanskrit Mīna (मीना) means “fish” and is the name of the twelfth astrological sign Pisces on the Hindu zodiac.

Mina’s performance on the American female naming charts maps pretty closely to Wilhelmina, further providing evidence that these two names were originally connected. In the late 19th century and early 20th century Mina (like Wilhelmina) was moderately popular but as the 1900s got underway, the name slipped in usage. Mina’s decline on the charts was fairly slow and steady until she disappeared off the American radar by the mid 1940s. Her hiatus from usage would last nearly 60 years until her return in the 21st century in 2002. Today Mina sees low success and we assume now that Indian-Americans might be the propeller behind Mina’s renewed usage. Americans no longer think about names as old-fashioned and sternly Germanic as Wilhelmina, so we doubt that connection any longer exists. Mina is now more of a delicately simple exotic choice tied to Hindu or Arabic names (i.e., Amina). We like the idea for Mina as a girl’s name for babies born under the Pisces zodiac sign (whose symbol is the fish).