Makena
Feminine name of Nez Perce origin meaning "gift from the divine" or "unique gift".
Name Census estimates that about 6,498 living Americans carry the first name Makena. It is a predominantly female name (98.7% of registrations). The average person named Makena today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makena births was 2005 (381 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makena. 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 Makena with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Makena is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 84 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Makena is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 18 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
6.5K
~ 1 in 52,748 Americans
Peak year
2005
381 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2010 SSA rank
#2,046
Tracked since 1984
Census
Makena in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,769 people with the first name Makena, which placed it at #3,568 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
#3,568
National first-name rank
People counted
5.8K
5,769 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
66.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Makena
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Makena is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.8%) and Hispanic (10.1%). 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 Makena 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 Makena at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.8% · 3,852
- Two or more races13.8% · 796
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 585
- Black or African American4.7% · 270
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 236
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 30
Gender
Gender distribution for Makena
Makena leans heavily female at 98.7% of total registrations, but 84 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Makena as a male name
- Ranked #13,521 in 2010
- 5 male births in 2010
- Peak: 1995 (15 births)
Makena as a female name
- Ranked #2,046 in 2024
- 95 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2005 (381 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Makena leans strongly female. 5,650 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 124 male bearers (2.1%).
Popularity
Makena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Makena from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 2,963 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
Makena 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 Makena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Makenas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 36 states and territories. California, Washington, Texas recorded the most babies named Makena, while Connecticut, Alaska, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 133 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Makena
The name Makena has its origins in the Hawaiian language and culture. It is believed to have emerged during the late 18th or early 19th century in the Hawaiian Islands. The name is derived from the Hawaiian word "makena," which means "abundance" or "plenty."
In ancient Hawaiian mythology, Makena was the name of a goddess associated with fertility, abundance, and prosperity. She was revered by the Hawaiian people as a symbol of bountiful harvests and a prosperous way of life. The name Makena was often given to newborn girls as a way to invoke the goddess's blessings and ensure a life of abundance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Makena dates back to the early 19th century, when a Hawaiian chief named his daughter Makena. This chief was known for his leadership during a time of great abundance and prosperity in his community, and he chose the name as a reflection of his gratitude and hope for his daughter's future.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Makena. One such person was Makena Kapiolani (1834-1899), a Hawaiian princess and member of the royal family. She played a significant role in the transition of Hawaii from a traditional monarchy to a modern constitutional government.
Another famous Makena was Makena Kahanamoku (1890-1965), a Hawaiian swimmer and surfer who is often credited with popularizing the sport of surfing globally. He won multiple Olympic medals and was a prominent figure in the early days of competitive swimming.
In the realm of literature, Makena Lani was a notable Hawaiian author and poet who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her works captured the essence of Hawaiian culture and traditions, and she was celebrated for her ability to weave rich imagery and emotion into her writing.
Makena Kealiinohomoku was a renowned Hawaiian hula dancer and choreographer who lived from 1900 to 1985. She played a crucial role in preserving and promoting the traditional hula dance form, and her contributions to the art were widely recognized both in Hawaii and internationally.
Finally, Makena Kaulukou (1923-2001) was a respected Hawaiian activist and advocate for indigenous rights. She dedicated her life to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the Hawaiian people, and her efforts played a significant role in the Hawaiian Renaissance movement of the late 20th century.
People
Makena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makena 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
Makena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,498 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makena 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 52,748 US residents.
Is Makena a common name?
We classify Makena as "Rare". It ranks above 97% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,587 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Makena most popular?
The single biggest year for Makena was 2005, when 381 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makena is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Makena in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,769 people with the name Makena, or 1.91 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,568 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 Makena 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 Makena?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Makena leans strongly female. 5,650 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 124 male bearers (2.1%). 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 Makena?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Makena is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.8%) and Hispanic (10.1%). 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 Makena most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Makena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.8% (3,852 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 Makena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Makena a female name?
Yes, 98.7% of people registered as Makena 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 Makena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Makena 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 Makena 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 share the name Makena?
Find out how many people share the name Makena on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.