Malacai
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "messenger of God".
Name Census estimates that about 163 living Americans carry the first name Malacai. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Malacai today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Malacai births was 2017 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Malacai. 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 Malacai with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
163
~ 1 in 2,102,787 Americans
Peak year
2017
15 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,512
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Malacai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Malacai from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 81 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Malacai remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Malacai 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 Malacai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Malacais live
Origin
Meaning and history of Malacai
The name Malacai is derived from the Hebrew name Malachi, which means "messenger of God" or "my messenger." It is a biblical name that can be traced back to the Old Testament and the Book of Malachi, one of the last books of the Hebrew Bible.
The name Malachi was borne by a prophet who lived during the 5th century BCE and whose teachings are recorded in the Book of Malachi. This book is significant in the Hebrew Bible as it addresses issues of social justice, faithfulness to God, and the importance of adhering to religious traditions.
The earliest recorded use of the name Malacai can be found in ancient Hebrew texts and manuscripts from the 5th century BCE onwards. It is a variant spelling of the original Hebrew name Malachi and was likely influenced by the Greek translation of the Bible, where the name was rendered as Malachias.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Malacai or its variants. One of the earliest recorded instances is Malachi, the biblical prophet who lived in the 5th century BCE and whose teachings are recorded in the Book of Malachi.
Another significant figure was Malachi Martin (1921-1999), an Irish Catholic priest, writer, and theologian who gained notoriety for his controversial views on the Catholic Church and his writings on exorcism and the supernatural.
In the 17th century, Malachi Thruston (1640-1728) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works and served as the chaplain to King William III of England.
Malachi Browne (born 1981) is a contemporary American journalist and war correspondent who has covered various conflicts around the world, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Malachi Favors (1927-1979) was an American jazz bassist and composer who played with legendary musicians such as John Coltrane and Archie Shepp, and was a prominent figure in the avant-garde jazz scene of the 1960s and 1970s.
While the name Malacai has its roots in Hebrew and biblical traditions, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and regions throughout history, reflecting the enduring influence of religious texts and the spread of Judeo-Christian beliefs.
People
Malacai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Malacai 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
Malacai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malacai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 163 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Malacai 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 2,102,787 US residents.
Is Malacai a common name?
We classify Malacai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 164 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Malacai most popular?
The single biggest year for Malacai was 2017, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Malacai is about 12 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 Malacai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Malacai a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Malacai 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.
Is Malacai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Malacai 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 Malacai 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 common is the name Malacai?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.