Makaiya
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "dance" or "beloved child".
Name Census estimates that about 512 living Americans carry the first name Makaiya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Makaiya today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makaiya births was 2007 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makaiya. 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
512
~ 1 in 669,442 Americans
Peak year
2007
44 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,798
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Makaiya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Makaiya 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 270 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
Makaiya 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 Makaiya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Makaiyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Maryland, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Makaiya, while Texas, North Carolina, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Makaiya
The name Makaiya is a relatively modern invention, with no clear linguistic or cultural origin. It appears to be a creative spelling variation of the name Mckaya, which itself is a combination of the Scottish surname McKay and the name Kaya, derived from the Hebrew word "kayitz" meaning "summer."
While the name Makaiya does not have any known historical references or appearances in ancient texts or scriptures, its component parts do have some interesting background. The surname McKay traces back to the Scottish Gaelic name "MacAidh," meaning "son of fire" or "son of Hugh." This surname was common among Scottish clans and can be found in historical records from the 13th century onwards.
The name Kaya, on the other hand, has its roots in Hebrew and was popularized in the United States in the 1970s after the release of the Bob Marley album "Kaya." Despite its modern usage, the name Kaya has a rich cultural heritage and is associated with themes of rebirth and renewal.
As for notable individuals with the name Makaiya, there are a few examples worth mentioning:
1. Makaiya Underwood (born 2002) is an American gymnast who competed at the 2018 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships.
2. Makaiya Bullard (born 1998) is a Canadian soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers.
3. Makaiya Lackey (born 2005) is an American child actress known for her role in the television series "P-Valley."
4. Makaiya Pryor (born 2004) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in sprinting events.
5. Makaiya Archambault (born 2003) is a Canadian ice hockey player who currently plays for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers women's ice hockey team.
It's worth noting that while the name Makaiya may not have a deep historical lineage, its unique spelling and combination of cultural influences make it a captivating and contemporary choice for parents seeking a distinctive name for their child.
People
Makaiya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makaiya 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
Makaiya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makaiya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 512 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makaiya 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 669,442 US residents.
Is Makaiya a common name?
We classify Makaiya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 518 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Makaiya most popular?
The single biggest year for Makaiya was 2007, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makaiya is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Makaiya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Makaiya 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.
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.