Macarius
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "blessed", "fortunate", or "happy".
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the first name Macarius. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Macarius today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Macarius births was 2012 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Macarius. 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.
People living today
147
~ 1 in 2,331,662 Americans
Peak year
2012
21 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,498
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Macarius: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Macarius from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 106 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Macarius remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Macarius 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 Macarius 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 Macarius
The given name Macarius has its origins in the Greek language and culture, dating back to the Byzantine era. The name is derived from the Greek word "makarios," which means "blessed" or "happy." It was a popular name among early Christian communities in the Mediterranean region.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Macarius can be found in the writings of the Church Fathers, particularly in the works of St. Athanasius of Alexandria. He wrote about the lives of two Egyptian monks named Macarius, who lived in the 4th century AD and were renowned for their asceticism and spiritual wisdom.
The name Macarius gained widespread recognition and popularity during the Byzantine period, particularly in the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Several prominent figures bore this name, including St. Macarius the Great (300-390 AD), an influential Desert Father and one of the earliest Christian monastics.
Another notable figure was Macarius of Egypt (301-391 AD), a renowned ascetic and spiritual writer who authored numerous works on Christian spirituality and the monastic life. His teachings and writings had a profound impact on the development of Christian asceticism in the early Church.
In the 11th century, Macarius II (1003-1063 AD) was the Patriarch of Antioch and played a significant role in the theological disputes between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches during the East-West Schism.
Moving forward in history, we find Macarius III (1293-1363 AD), who served as the Patriarch of Antioch from 1334 to 1363 and was known for his efforts to strengthen the Eastern Orthodox Church in the region.
Another prominent figure bearing the name Macarius was Macarius of Corinth (1731-1805 AD), a Greek scholar and theologian who made significant contributions to the development of modern Greek education and the preservation of Greek cultural heritage.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Macarius, which has its roots in the Greek language and culture and has been associated with Christian spirituality, monastic traditions, and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
People
Macarius + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Macarius 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
Macarius: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Macarius?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 147 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Macarius 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 2,331,662 US residents.
Is Macarius a common name?
We classify Macarius as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 148 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Macarius most popular?
The single biggest year for Macarius was 2012, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Macarius is about 11 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 Macarius in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Macarius a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Macarius in the SSA data are male. 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 Macarius still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Macarius 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 Macarius 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 are named Macarius?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Macarius, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.