Minnie is a diminutive of Wilhelmina, Mary, or Minerva — variously from the Germanic willa (will) + helma (helmet, protection) or the Hebrew Mary. A top-10 US baby name from 1882 to 1898. Minnie Riperton (1947-1979) — American soul singer; her 1975 hit "Lovin' You" features one of the most famous high notes in popular music (an F6 whistle register). Died of breast cancer at 31. Minnie Pearl (1912-1996) — born Sarah Ophelia Colley — American country comedian; Grand Ole Opry fixture for 50+ years. Minnie Mouse (Walt Disney, 1928) is among the most globally recognized cartoon characters. Minnie Driver (born 1970) — British actress; Good Will Hunting (1997).
Featured throughout American pop culture; subject of Riperton biographies.
Minnie does not currently appear in the US Social Security Administration's top 1,000 girls' names, so we don't publish a US rank or birth count for it. That says nothing about the name's standing elsewhere in the world — only that it sits outside the ranked US data we rely on.
In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Minnie reduce to 1, The Leader. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.