Makilah
An Arabic name meaning "perfection" or "beauty".
Name Census estimates that about 148 living Americans carry the first name Makilah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Makilah today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makilah births was 2007 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makilah. 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
148
~ 1 in 2,315,908 Americans
Peak year
2007
17 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2021 SSA rank
#16,786
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Makilah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Makilah 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 88 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
Makilah 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 Makilah 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 Makilah
The name Makilah appears to have its origins in the Arabic language. It is a feminine name derived from the Arabic word "mak??lah," which means "advice" or "counsel." The name is believed to have emerged in the Middle East during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Makilah can be found in historical accounts from the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled significant parts of the Middle East and North Africa from the 8th to the 13th century. During this time, the name was likely associated with wisdom, guidance, and intellectual pursuits.
While the name does not appear to have any direct references in major religious scriptures or ancient texts, it may have been inspired by the Arabic literary tradition, which celebrated the value of knowledge, discourse, and scholarly endeavors.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Makilah. One such figure was Makilah bint al-Rashid (c. 780-850 CE), a renowned Arab poet and scholar who lived during the Abbasid era. She was known for her eloquent poetry and her expertise in various fields, including literature, philosophy, and astronomy.
Another historical figure with the name Makilah was Makilah al-Andalusi (c. 1030-1090 CE), a renowned mathematician and astronomer from the Andalusian region of modern-day Spain. Her contributions to the field of mathematics, particularly in the development of algebraic methods, were significant and influential.
In the 12th century, Makilah al-Dimashqi (c. 1150-1220 CE) was a respected scholar and historian from Damascus. She authored several works on the history and culture of the region, providing valuable insights into the intellectual and social dynamics of the time.
During the Ottoman Empire era, Makilah Pasha (c. 1570-1640 CE) was a prominent military leader and statesman. She played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of Ottoman power in the Middle East and North Africa.
More recently, Makilah al-Sajiri (1920-2005) was a celebrated Omani writer and poet known for her powerful and evocative works that explored themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the human experience.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Makilah, reflecting its rich cultural significance and associations with wisdom, guidance, and intellectual pursuits.
People
Makilah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makilah 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
Makilah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makilah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 148 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makilah 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 2,315,908 US residents.
Is Makilah a common name?
We classify Makilah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 150 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Makilah most popular?
The single biggest year for Makilah was 2007, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makilah is about 18 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 Makilah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Makilah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Makilah 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 Makilah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Makilah 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 Makilah 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 the name Makilah?
See how many Americans are named Makilah on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.