Minka Name Meaning & Origin
Minka
Looking for the perfect name? Try the Name MatchMaker to find the perfect baby name for you!
NameVoyager
US Popularity of Minka Over Time

Sister & Brother Names
Know a Minka? What are her siblings named?
Name Lists Featuring Minka
Contribute your knowledge to the name Minka
- Comments and insights on the name Minka
- Personal experiences with the name Minka
My husband's last nme is Wozniak so when we were looking for a name for our daughter we needed something that could hold it's own against a very strong Polish last name.
- Nicknames for Minka
- Meanings and history of the name Minka
We read that it was a traditional Polish nickname for Wilhelmina, but I haven't been able to verify that anywhere else.
The wikipedia entry for Wilhelmina lists Minka as a Czech, Slovakian, and Polish variant of the name. Wikipedia isn't always necessarily right, but combined with a handful of online anecdotes I've seen from people knowing old Polish ladies with the name, this origin is at least believable.
I've found it cited a few times as a Yiddish name (1. online commenter whose Jewish grandmother was named Minka 2. List of names included in a book of Jewish Personal Names), but neither gave a meaning or derivation.
- Famous real-life people named Minka
Minka Kelly - American actress
Minka Pradelski - German sociologist and documentarian. Penned the novel "Here Comes Mrs. Kugelman"
Minka Kuustonen - Finnish actress- Minka in song, story & screen
Minka Kropotkin - grandmother of Tommy Pickles in the 90s cartoon "Rugrats"