Makayli
An anglicized feminine variant of the Hebrew name Mikhail meaning "who is like God?".
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the first name Makayli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Makayli today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makayli births was 2005 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makayli. 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
112
~ 1 in 3,060,307 Americans
Peak year
2005
12 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2014 SSA rank
#10,636
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Makayli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Makayli 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 65 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Makayli remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Makayli 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 Makayli 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 Makayli
The name Makayli is a relatively modern invention, likely originating in the late 20th century as a creative spelling variation of the more traditional name Michaela. The name does not appear to have any direct linguistic roots or origins in specific languages or cultures.
However, the name Makayli shares some similarities with the Hebrew name Michael, which means "who is like God." It's possible that Makayli was created as a feminized version of this name, with the addition of the trendy "-yli" ending that became popular for girls' names in recent decades.
There are no known historical references or notable individuals from ancient times or the Middle Ages who bore the name Makayli, as it is a relatively new coinage. The earliest recorded examples of the name likely date back only to the late 20th century, coinciding with the rise in popularity of unique and unconventional baby names.
Due to its modern origins, there are not many famous historical figures associated with the name Makayli. However, here are five individuals who have been recorded as having this first name:
1. Makayli Joy Laine, an American singer and songwriter born in 1996.
2. Makayli Kohn, an American child actress known for her role in the film "The Hunger Games" (born in 2004).
3. Makayli Cline, an American gymnast who competed in the 2016 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships.
4. Makayli Williams, an American basketball player who played for the University of Arkansas (born in 1997).
5. Makayli Okine, a British social media influencer and YouTuber (born in 1997).
As a relatively new name, Makayli has not yet had the opportunity to accumulate a rich historical legacy or be extensively documented in ancient texts or records. Its origins and rise in popularity are primarily a reflection of contemporary naming trends and preferences.
People
Makayli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makayli 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
Makayli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makayli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 112 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makayli 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 3,060,307 US residents.
Is Makayli a common name?
We classify Makayli as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 114 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Makayli most popular?
The single biggest year for Makayli was 2005, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makayli is about 19 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 Makayli in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Makayli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Makayli 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 Makayli still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Makayli 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 Makayli 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 share the name Makayli?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.