Mahkai
A unique name of uncertain meaning, often thought to derive from Native American roots.
Name Census estimates that about 446 living Americans carry the first name Mahkai. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mahkai today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mahkai births was 2010 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mahkai. 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
446
~ 1 in 768,507 Americans
Peak year
2010
30 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,799
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Mahkai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mahkai from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 223 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mahkai remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mahkai 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 Mahkai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mahkais live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Florida, Pennsylvania, California recorded the most babies named Mahkai, while California, Pennsylvania, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mahkai
The name Mahkai is a variant spelling of the Hawaiian name Makai, which means "towards the sea" or "ocean". It is derived from the Hawaiian language, an Austronesian language spoken in the Hawaiian Islands. The name is believed to have originated sometime after the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers in the Hawaiian archipelago, around the 5th century AD.
In ancient Hawaiian culture, the ocean played a significant role in the daily lives of the people. As skilled navigators and fishermen, Hawaiians had a deep respect for the sea. The name Mahkai likely reflected this reverence and connection to the ocean environment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mahkai can be found in the traditional Hawaiian chants and oral histories, which were passed down through generations. These chants often celebrated the beauty of the islands and the importance of the ocean in Hawaiian culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mahkai or its variant spellings. One such example is Mahkai Kele (1785-1848), a renowned Hawaiian chief and advisor to King Kamehameha I, who played a crucial role in the unification of the Hawaiian Islands.
Another notable figure was Mahkai Nui (1820-1889), a respected Hawaiian scholar and historian who dedicated his life to preserving and documenting the rich cultural traditions and oral histories of the Hawaiian people.
In the realm of Hawaiian music, Mahkai Kalani (1901-1972) was a celebrated composer and songwriter, known for his contributions to the revival of traditional Hawaiian music in the 20th century.
The name Mahkai also gained recognition in sports, with Mahkai Puamau (1945-2010), a legendary Hawaiian surfer and waterman, who helped popularize surfing as a sport and a way of life.
Lastly, Mahkai Kealoha (1970-present), a contemporary Hawaiian activist and educator, has been at the forefront of efforts to promote and revitalize the Hawaiian language and cultural practices.
These individuals, spanning different eras and fields, have carried the name Mahkai with pride, embodying the deep connection to the sea and the rich cultural heritage of the Hawaiian people.
People
Mahkai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mahkai 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
Mahkai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mahkai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 446 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mahkai 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 768,507 US residents.
Is Mahkai a common name?
We classify Mahkai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 450 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mahkai most popular?
The single biggest year for Mahkai was 2010, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mahkai is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mahkai a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mahkai 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.