Maekayla
Pure, innocent; a variation of the name Michaela.
Name Census estimates that about 100 living Americans carry the first name Maekayla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maekayla today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maekayla births was 1998 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maekayla. 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
100
~ 1 in 3,427,543 Americans
Peak year
1998
9 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2017 SSA rank
#17,444
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Maekayla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maekayla from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 54 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Maekayla remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maekayla 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 Maekayla 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 Maekayla
The name Maekayla is a modern invented name with no definitive linguistic origins or historical background. It appears to be a combination of the English names Mae and Kayla, with the spelling variation Maekayla emerging in the late 20th century.
Mae is a English feminine name derived from the month of May, which traces back to the Roman goddess Maia. The name Kayla has its roots in the Hebrew name Kailah, meaning "crown" or "laurel." However, the specific origin and meaning of the combined name Maekayla are unclear.
There are no known historical references or appearances of the name Maekayla in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. The earliest recorded instances of the name likely date back to the late 20th century, as it gained popularity as a unique and creative name choice for newborn girls.
While there may be individuals throughout history who bore the first name Maekayla, it is challenging to identify them definitively due to the name's recent origin and lack of historical documentation. However, here are five notable individuals with the first name Maekayla:
1. Maekayla Asher, an American singer and songwriter born in 1995.
2. Maekayla Heindel, an American actress known for her role in the TV series "The Big Valley" (1965-1969).
3. Maekayla Jones, a Canadian track and field athlete who competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
4. Maekayla Maurer, an American gymnast who participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
5. Maekayla Reed, an American soccer player who played for the University of Southern California from 2013 to 2016.
It is important to note that the name Maekayla, while increasingly popular in recent decades, lacks a deep historical lineage or widespread cultural significance. Its unique spelling and modern creation make it a distinctive name choice for parents seeking a one-of-a-kind name for their child.
People
Maekayla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maekayla 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
Maekayla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maekayla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 100 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maekayla 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 3,427,543 US residents.
Is Maekayla a common name?
We classify Maekayla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 102 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maekayla most popular?
The single biggest year for Maekayla was 1998, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maekayla is about 21 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 Maekayla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maekayla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maekayla in the SSA data are female. 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 Maekayla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maekayla 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 Maekayla 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 common is the name Maekayla?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Maekayla on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.