Mirtie
A feminine English surname transferred to forename use.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Mirtie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mirtie today is around 108 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mirtie births was 1924 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mirtie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Mirtie is about 108 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Mirties were born before 1928.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mirtie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1924
16 babies that year
Average age
108
years old
1942 SSA rank
#5,145
Tracked since 1881
Popularity
Mirtie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mirtie from the 1880s through to the 1940s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1890s, with 60 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1890s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mirtie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mirtie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mirtie
The name Mirtie is an English feminine given name with uncertain origins. It is believed to have emerged in the late 19th century, likely as a variant or diminutive form of the name Myrtle. The name Myrtle itself is derived from the ancient Greek word 'myrtos', meaning the evergreen shrub known as myrtle.
While the name Mirtie does not appear to have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its connection to the myrtle plant can be traced back to ancient Greek mythology. The myrtle was a symbol of love and fertility, and was associated with the goddess Aphrodite.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mirtie can be found in the United States census records from the late 19th century. The name was particularly popular in the southern states, possibly due to the prevalence of myrtle shrubs in that region.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Mirtie. One such person was Mirtie May Southgate (1880-1958), an American educator and author from Ohio. She wrote several books on teaching methods and was a proponent of progressive education.
Another notable Mirtie was Mirtie Beatrice Hanley (1902-1992), an American politician who served as the mayor of Havre de Grace, Maryland, from 1947 to 1951. She was one of the first women to hold the position of mayor in that city.
In the early 20th century, Mirtie Louisa Dyball (1895-1978) was a Canadian artist and illustrator known for her landscape paintings and illustrations of children's books. She was active in the art community of Victoria, British Columbia.
Mirtie Josephine Huddleston (1876-1942) was an American educator and writer from Texas. She authored several books on education and was a prominent figure in the Texas State Teachers Association.
Finally, Mirtie Edna Stephenson (1872-1951) was a Australian philanthropist and social worker. She was instrumental in establishing several charitable organizations in Sydney, including the Children's Hospital and the Kindergarten Union of New South Wales.
While the name Mirtie may have fallen out of widespread usage in recent times, its historical connections to nature, mythology, and notable individuals have left a lasting legacy.
People
Mirtie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mirtie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mirtie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mirtie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mirtie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Mirtie a common name?
We classify Mirtie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 236 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mirtie most popular?
The single biggest year for Mirtie was 1924, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mirtie is about 108 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mirtie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mirtie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mirtie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mirtie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mirtie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mirtie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Mirtie as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.