Mako
A feminine name of Japanese origin meaning "truth" or "sincerity".
Name Census estimates that about 303 living Americans carry the first name Mako. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 78.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Mako today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mako births was 2022 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mako. 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
303
~ 1 in 1,131,202 Americans
Peak year
2022
34 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,970
Tracked since 1977
Gender
Gender distribution for Mako
Mako is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 306 total registrations, 241 (78.8%) were male and 65 (21.2%) were female.
Mako as a male name
- Ranked #4,970 in 2024
- 20 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (28 births)
Mako as a female name
- Ranked #11,717 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (8 births)
Popularity
Mako: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mako from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 140 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mako 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 Mako during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Makos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mako
The name Mako has its origins in the Japanese language and culture. It is derived from the Japanese word "mako," which means shark or true shark. The name is believed to have been first used during the Edo period in Japan, which spanned from the early 17th century to the mid-19th century.
Mako was initially used as a name for boys, with the intention of bestowing qualities associated with sharks, such as strength, resilience, and fierceness. In Japanese mythology, sharks were often revered as powerful and majestic creatures, making the name a desirable choice for parents seeking to instill these traits in their sons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mako can be found in the historical records of the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled over Japan during the Edo period. The name appears in several family registries and official documents from that era, indicating its widespread use among the samurai and noble classes.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mako. One of the most famous is Mako Iwamatsu (1915-2006), a Japanese-American actor known for his roles in films such as "The Crimson Kimono" and "Midway." Another prominent figure was Mako Sasaki (1900-1961), a Japanese baseball player who played for the Yomiuri Giants and was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
In the world of sports, Mako Nomachi (born 1982) is a Japanese swimmer who has competed in multiple Olympic Games and won several medals at the Asian Games and Pan Pacific Championships. In the realm of literature, Mako Yoshikawa (1908-1983) was a renowned Japanese poet and author known for her works exploring themes of feminism and social commentary.
Another notable figure was Mako Kagaku (1926-2010), a Japanese actor and voice actor who lent his talents to numerous anime and video game productions, including the popular Dragon Ball series, where he voiced the character of Master Roshi.
As the name Mako has traveled beyond its Japanese origins, it has gained popularity in other cultures and languages, often retaining its association with strength, resilience, and a connection to the natural world.
People
Mako + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mako 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
Mako: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mako?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 303 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mako 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 1,131,202 US residents.
Is Mako a common name?
We classify Mako as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 306 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mako most popular?
The single biggest year for Mako was 2022, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mako is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mako a male name?
Yes, 78.8% of people registered as Mako 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.
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.