Makye
An Anglicized form of the Welsh name Meurig, meaning "sea bright".
Name Census estimates that about 386 living Americans carry the first name Makye. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Makye today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makye births was 2007 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makye. 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
386
~ 1 in 887,965 Americans
Peak year
2007
32 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2023 SSA rank
#8,666
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Makye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Makye 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 181 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
Makye 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 Makye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Makyes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Makye
The name Makye is believed to have originated from the ancient Aramaic language, which was widely spoken in the Middle East during the first millennium BC. It is derived from the Aramaic word "makya," which means "blessed" or "fortunate." The earliest known reference to this name can be traced back to the 5th century BC, in ancient Mesopotamian texts.
During the Hellenistic period, which spanned from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD, the name Makye gained popularity among the Aramaic-speaking communities in the regions of modern-day Syria, Lebanon, and parts of Turkey. It was often associated with individuals who were considered lucky or blessed.
In the 2nd century AD, the name Makye appeared in the writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who mentioned a prominent figure from the Jewish community in Jerusalem bearing this name. This is one of the earliest recorded instances of the name in historical records.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Makye was found in various religious texts and chronicles, particularly among the Syriac Christian communities in the Middle East. One notable figure was Makye of Edessa, a 6th-century Syriac scholar and theologian who made significant contributions to the study of Aramaic literature.
In the 9th century, Makye ibn al-Qasim al-Kindi, an Arab mathematician and philosopher from Kufa (present-day Iraq), gained recognition for his work in the fields of optics and astronomy. His writings on the properties of light and vision were influential during the Islamic Golden Age.
During the Renaissance period, the name Makye was revived in Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. One prominent individual was Makye Gherardini, an Italian noblewoman from the 15th century, who is believed to have been the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait, the Mona Lisa.
In the 18th century, Makye Volterra, an Italian mathematician and philosopher, made significant contributions to the field of calculus and differential equations. His work on the theory of functions and their applications in physics earned him recognition among the scientific community of his time.
As the name Makye spread across different cultures and regions, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Makye, Makhye, and Makhi. However, the underlying meaning of "blessed" or "fortunate" has remained consistent throughout its historical journey.
People
Makye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makye 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
Makye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 386 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makye 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 887,965 US residents.
Is Makye a common name?
We classify Makye as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 390 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Makye most popular?
The single biggest year for Makye was 2007, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makye is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Makye a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Makye 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.