Machi
A Japanese name meaning "street" or "town".
Name Census estimates that about 332 living Americans carry the first name Machi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Machi today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Machi births was 2006 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Machi. 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
332
~ 1 in 1,032,393 Americans
Peak year
2006
34 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,781
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Machi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Machi from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 165 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Machi 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 Machi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Machis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Georgia, Maryland, New York recorded the most babies named Machi, while New York, Maryland, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Machi
The name Machi has its roots in the Japanese language and culture, tracing back to the 8th century AD during the Nara period. It is derived from the Japanese word "machi," which means "town" or "village." The name was initially used to refer to people who lived in towns or villages, often associated with a specific location or region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Machi can be found in the Kojiki, an ancient Japanese chronicle dating back to 712 AD. The Kojiki mentions several individuals with the name Machi, although their specific roles or significance are not explicitly stated.
During the Heian period (794-1185 AD), the name Machi gained popularity among the aristocratic class in Japan. It was often given to children born in urban areas or those with familial ties to influential families residing in towns or cities.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Machi no Haha, a Japanese Buddhist nun and poet, lived during the late Heian period. Her poetry and writings have been preserved in various anthologies, providing insight into the literary and cultural aspects of that era.
Another prominent individual bearing the name Machi was Machi Tawara, a renowned Japanese waka poet who lived during the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD). Her poetry collection, titled "Tawara no Machi Shū," is considered a masterpiece of Japanese literature and has influenced generations of poets.
In the Edo period (1603-1868 AD), the name Machi was frequently associated with individuals involved in the entertainment industry, particularly the traditional Japanese theater form known as Kabuki. One notable example is Machi Umekichi, a famous Kabuki actor and playwright who lived from 1688 to 1744.
It is important to note that while the name Machi has historical significance and literary connections, it is not commonly used as a given name in modern times. However, its legacy and cultural associations continue to be celebrated and studied by scholars and enthusiasts of Japanese history and literature.
People
Machi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Machi 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
Machi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Machi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 332 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Machi 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 1,032,393 US residents.
Is Machi a common name?
We classify Machi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 335 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Machi most popular?
The single biggest year for Machi was 2006, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Machi is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Machi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Machi 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.
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.