Macauly
A masculine name of Scottish origin meaning "son of the unseeing or blind man".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Macauly. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Macauly today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Macauly births was 1992 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Macauly. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Macauly with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Macauly. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1992
5 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1992 SSA rank
#9,300
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Macauly: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Macauly 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 Macauly during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Macauly
The name Macauly has its origins in the Gaelic language, specifically the Scottish Gaelic variation, and can be traced back to medieval times. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "Aulay" which is a diminutive form of the name Olaf or Olave. The name Olaf itself is of Old Norse origin, meaning "ancestor's descendant" or "heir to an inheritance."
In ancient Scottish history, the name Macauly was associated with the Clan MacAulay, a Highland Scottish clan that held lands in the area of Argyll and the Hebrides islands. The earliest recorded use of the name Macauly dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in various Scottish charters and records.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Macauly was Aulay MacAulay (c. 1300-1380), a Scottish warrior and chieftain of the Clan MacAulay. He played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence against the English, fighting alongside Robert the Bruce.
Another historical figure with the name Macauly was Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859), a British historian, essayist, and politician. He is best known for his extensive historical writings, particularly his "History of England" and his critical essays on literature.
In the literary world, Thomas Macaulay (1917-2003) was an American novelist and playwright, best known for his works such as "The Cuckoo's Child" and "The Waking Dream."
In the field of music, Macaulay Culkin (born 1980) is an American actor and musician, famous for his roles in the "Home Alone" movie series and his work with the band, The Pizza Underground.
Another notable figure with the name Macauly is Macaulay Amechi Chrisantus Okeke (born 1948), a Nigerian civil servant and administrator who served as the Governor of Anambra State from 1986 to 1993.
People
Macauly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Macauly 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
Macauly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Macauly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Macauly 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 Macauly a common name?
We classify Macauly 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, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Macauly most popular?
The single biggest year for Macauly was 1992, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Macauly is about 33 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 Macauly in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Macauly a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Macauly 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 Macauly still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Macauly 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 Macauly 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 Americans are named Macauly?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.