Makeba
A feminine name of African origin meaning "little lamb".
Name Census estimates that about 637 living Americans carry the first name Makeba. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Makeba today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makeba births was 1972 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makeba. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Makeba with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
637
~ 1 in 538,076 Americans
Peak year
1972
63 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
2003 SSA rank
#17,361
Tracked since 1962
Census
Makeba in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 636 people with the first name Makeba, which placed it at #17,376 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#17,376
National first-name rank
People counted
636
636 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
92.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Makeba
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Makeba is Black at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Makeba described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Makeba at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.6% · 589
- Two or more races3.8% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 10
- White0.9% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Popularity
Makeba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Makeba from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 396 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Makeba 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 Makeba during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Makebas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. New York, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Makeba, while Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Makeba
The name Makeba is believed to have originated from the Xhosa language spoken by the Xhosa people of South Africa. It is thought to be derived from the Xhosa word "makeba," which means "to dance." The name has been in use among the Xhosa people for centuries, reflecting their rich cultural heritage and connection to music and dance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Makeba dates back to the late 19th century. Miriam Makeba, a legendary South African singer and civil rights activist, was born in 1932 and passed away in 2008. She was known as "Mama Africa" and played a significant role in introducing African music to the world stage. Her powerful voice and unwavering commitment to the anti-apartheid movement made her an iconic figure in South African history.
Another notable figure with the name Makeba was Makeba Wilstar, a South African actress and model born in 1981. She has appeared in several South African television series and films, showcasing her talent and contributing to the entertainment industry.
In the literary world, Makeba Ngwira is a South African author and academic who has written extensively on topics related to African literature and culture. Her works have been widely acclaimed and have contributed to the preservation and promotion of African heritage.
Outside of South Africa, Makeba Rainier was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1960s. She was an activist and organizer who worked tirelessly to promote equal rights and social justice for African Americans.
While the name Makeba has its roots in South Africa, it has also been embraced by individuals from various cultural backgrounds around the world. The name's association with music, dance, and cultural pride has resonated with people across different continents, making it a name that transcends geographical boundaries.
People
Makeba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makeba 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
Makeba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makeba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 637 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makeba 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 538,076 US residents.
Is Makeba a common name?
We classify Makeba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 702 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Makeba most popular?
The single biggest year for Makeba was 1972, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makeba is about 49 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Makeba in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 636 people with the name Makeba, or 0.21 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,376 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Makeba in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Makeba?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Makeba leans strongly female. 621 people counted with this name were female (96.3%), compared with 24 male bearers (3.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Makeba?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Makeba is Black at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Makeba most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Makeba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (589 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Makeba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Makeba a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Makeba 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 Makeba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Makeba 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 Makeba 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.
How many people are named Makeba?
Want to know how many people share the name Makeba? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.