Magaby
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of "magic" and "baby".
Name Census estimates that about 153 living Americans carry the first name Magaby. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Magaby today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Magaby births was 2011 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Magaby. 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
153
~ 1 in 2,240,224 Americans
Peak year
2011
50 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,678
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Magaby: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Magaby from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 149 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Magaby 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 Magaby during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Magabys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Magaby, while New York, North Carolina, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Magaby
The name Magaby has its origins in the ancient Sumerian civilization, one of the earliest known urban societies in the world, which flourished in the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500-3000 BCE. It is derived from the Sumerian words "ma-ga," meaning "exalted one," and "bi," meaning "to bring forth."
This name was first recorded in cuneiform inscriptions found on clay tablets, which documented various aspects of Sumerian life, including religious practices, legal codes, and administrative records. It was a name given to individuals born into noble or influential families, symbolizing their elevated status and the expectation that they would contribute significantly to society.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear this name was Magaby, a high priestess who served in the temple of the goddess Inanna in the ancient city of Uruk during the 3rd millennium BCE. Her name has been found inscribed on clay tablets and seals, indicating her importance in the religious and cultural life of the Sumerian people.
In later centuries, the name Magaby appears to have spread to other ancient civilizations in the region, such as the Akkadians and Babylonians. It is mentioned in the epic poem "The Epic of Gilgamesh," one of the earliest known works of literature, dating back to around 2100 BCE.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Magaby. One example is Magaby the Wise, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the city of Babylon during the 6th century BCE. His teachings on ethics, metaphysics, and the nature of the universe were highly influential in the ancient world.
Another prominent figure was Magaby the Architect, who lived in the 3rd century BCE and was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of several magnificent temples and monuments in the city of Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.
In the 2nd century CE, Magaby the Physician made significant contributions to the field of medicine. Her works on anatomy, herbal remedies, and surgical techniques were widely studied and referenced by scholars and practitioners for centuries.
During the Islamic Golden Age, Magaby al-Khwarizmi, a renowned mathematician and astronomer, lived in the 9th century CE. He is credited with introducing the concept of algebra and laying the foundations for modern algorithms and computational methods.
Despite its ancient origins, the name Magaby has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, but it has been carried by individuals who made lasting impacts in various fields, reflecting the name's symbolic meaning of being an "exalted one" who brings forth significant contributions to society.
People
Magaby + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Magaby 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
Magaby: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Magaby?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 153 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Magaby 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 2,240,224 US residents.
Is Magaby a common name?
We classify Magaby as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 154 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Magaby most popular?
The single biggest year for Magaby was 2011, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Magaby is about 13 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 Magaby in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Magaby a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Magaby 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 Magaby still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Magaby 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 Magaby 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 Magaby?
See how many people share the name Magaby on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.