Machias
Native American name meaning "bad little falls" in Algonquin.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Machias. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Machias today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Machias births was 2006 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Machias. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Machias. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2006
5 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2006 SSA rank
#13,252
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Machias: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Machias 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 Machias during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Machias
The name Machias originates from the Native American Passamaquoddy language, spoken by the Passamaquoddy people of eastern Maine and western New Brunswick. It is derived from the Passamaquoddy word "mechiyis," which means "bad little falls" or "bad little current." This likely refers to the rough waters of the Machias River located in Washington County, Maine.
The earliest known use of the name Machias dates back to the 17th century, when European settlers began arriving in the area and established the town of Machias in 1763. The name was initially used to refer to the river and the surrounding region before becoming a given name.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Machias can be found in the records of the Machias Revolt, a significant event during the American Revolutionary War. In June 1775, a group of local settlers in Machias captured a British naval vessel, marking one of the first naval engagements of the war.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Machias. One of the earliest was Machias Peleshki (1756-1831), a Polish-American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.
Another prominent figure was Machias Porter (1810-1891), an American lawyer and politician from New Hampshire who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1863 to 1867.
In the field of literature, Machias Whitmore (1848-1912) was an American poet and author from Maine, best known for his poetry collections and works about life in rural New England.
The name Machias also appears in the arts, with Machias Arroyo (1923-1998), a Mexican-American painter and sculptor, known for his vibrant abstract works and contributions to the Chicano art movement.
Lastly, Machias Walworth (1901-1979) was an American architect and urban planner, notable for his work in designing residential communities and advocating for sustainable urban development in the mid-20th century.
While not a common given name today, Machias has a rich history rooted in the Native American culture of eastern Maine and has been borne by individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.
People
Machias + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Machias 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
Machias: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Machias?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Machias 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 Machias a common name?
We classify Machias 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 Machias most popular?
The single biggest year for Machias was 2006, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Machias is about 20 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 Machias in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Machias a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Machias 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 Machias still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Machias 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 Machias 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 have Machias as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.