Makyah
Makyah is a feminine name of African origin meaning "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 803 living Americans carry the first name Makyah. It is a predominantly female name (94.7% of registrations). The average person named Makyah today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makyah births was 2007 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makyah. 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
803
~ 1 in 426,842 Americans
Peak year
2007
65 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2009 SSA rank
#8,729
Tracked since 1998
Gender
Gender distribution for Makyah
Makyah leans heavily female at 94.7% of total registrations, but 43 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Makyah as a male name
- Ranked #13,739 in 2009
- 5 male births in 2009
- Peak: 2007 (11 births)
Makyah as a female name
- Ranked #8,729 in 2024
- 12 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (54 births)
Popularity
Makyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Makyah 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 456 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
Makyah 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 Makyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Makyahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Illinois, Georgia, Ohio recorded the most babies named Makyah, while Ohio, Georgia, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Makyah
The name Makyah is a relatively modern invention, likely stemming from a creative spelling variation of the more traditional name Makia or Makiah. It does not appear to have roots in any specific language or cultural tradition, but rather seems to be a unique construction born out of the recent trend for parents to give their children newly-created names with unconventional spellings.
Lacking a clear etymological origin, there are no known historical references or ancient texts mentioning Makyah. The name's novelty also means there are few, if any, famous individuals from history who bore this particular spelling.
That said, some notable people who carry similar-sounding names include Makia Green, an American singer and songwriter born in 1989, and Makiah Mulbah, a Liberian footballer born in 1996. Additionally, there is Makiah McDonald, an American track and field athlete born in 1998, and Makiah Reed, an American basketball player born in 2000.
While the spelling Makyah itself is relatively uncommon, it is worth noting that the name Makia has been in use for several decades, particularly in African American communities. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name is Makia Benning, an American actress born in 1979.
Ultimately, Makyah is a modern invention that does not have a deep historical lineage or cultural significance. Its popularity likely stems from parents' desire to give their children unique and distinctive names, often by creatively altering more traditional spellings.
People
Makyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makyah 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
Makyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 803 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makyah 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 426,842 US residents.
Is Makyah a common name?
We classify Makyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 813 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Makyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Makyah was 2007, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makyah is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Makyah a female name?
Yes, 94.7% of people registered as Makyah 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.
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.