Makao
An Indonesian baby name of uncertain meaning and origin.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Makao. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Makao today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makao births was 2005 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makao. 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 Makao. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2005
5 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2005 SSA rank
#12,624
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Makao: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Makao 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 Makao 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 Makao
The name Makao has its origins in the Austronesian languages, specifically the Malayo-Polynesian branch. It is believed to have originated in the region that is now the Philippines, sometime before the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the word "maka," which means "to be able" or "to have the power to" in various Philippine languages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Makao can be found in the Boxer Codex, a 16th-century manuscript containing a dictionary of the Visayan language spoken in the central Philippines. The codex, written by Spanish colonizers and missionaries, includes the name Makao as a variant spelling of the name Macario.
In the 17th century, a Filipino man named Makao Acuña was recorded as one of the first Christian converts in the Philippines. He played a significant role in the spread of Christianity in the region and is considered an important figure in the early history of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.
Another notable individual with the name Makao was Makao Sakay, a Filipino revolutionary leader who fought against the American occupation of the Philippines in the early 20th century. Sakay was born in 1870 and executed by the American authorities in 1907 for his role in the Philippine Revolution.
In the literary world, Makao Cariño was a prominent Filipino writer and poet who lived from 1932 to 2008. He was known for his works that explored the theme of identity and the Filipino experience, and was recognized with numerous awards and honors during his lifetime.
The name Makao also has a connection to the island of Makao (also known as Macao), which was a Portuguese colony until 1999. While the island's name is spelled differently, it is believed to have a similar origin and meaning in the Austronesian languages, potentially referring to a place of power or influence.
Throughout history, the name Makao has been used by individuals from various cultures and backgrounds, often carrying a sense of strength, ability, and potential. While its precise origins may be difficult to pinpoint, the name continues to be a part of the rich linguistic and cultural tapestry of the Philippines and the broader Austronesian world.
People
Makao + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makao 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
Makao: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makao?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makao 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 Makao a common name?
We classify Makao 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 Makao most popular?
The single biggest year for Makao was 2005, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makao 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 Makao in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Makao a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Makao 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 Makao still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Makao 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 Makao 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 Makao as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Makao on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.