Malachiah
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "messenger of God".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Malachiah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Malachiah today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Malachiah births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Malachiah. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Malachiah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,600
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Malachiah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Malachiah 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 Malachiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Malachiah
The name Malachiah has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "mal'akh," which means "messenger" or "angel," and the suffix "-iah," which is a shortened form of the Hebrew name for God, "Yahweh." The name Malachiah, therefore, translates to "messenger of God" or "angel of the Lord."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Malachiah can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. In the Book of Malachi, the name is used to refer to the last prophet of the Hebrew Bible, who lived during the 5th century BCE. The book itself is believed to have been written around 450-400 BCE, and it addresses the issues of religious corruption and social injustice among the people of Israel.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Malachiah. One of the earliest recorded examples is Malachiah ben Judah, a Jewish scholar who lived in the 12th century CE. He was a prominent rabbi and commentator, known for his work on the Talmud and other Jewish texts.
Another famous Malachiah was Malachiah Thrush (1612-1669), an English Puritan minister and writer. He was a prominent figure during the English Civil War and is known for his sermons and religious writings.
In the 18th century, Malachiah Hubbard (1752-1809) was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. He served as a judge and as a member of the state legislature, and was involved in the early formation of the state's government.
Malachiah Parker (1807-1868) was an American Baptist minister and educator from Massachusetts. He was the founder and first president of the Shurtleff College (now known as Shurtleff University) in Alton, Illinois.
In more recent times, Malachiah Enrique Massey (1944-2019) was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Malachiah, reflecting its rich cultural and religious heritage as a name with Hebrew origins and biblical significance.
People
Malachiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Malachiah 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
Malachiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malachiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Malachiah 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Malachiah a common name?
We classify Malachiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Malachiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Malachiah was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Malachiah is about 4 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 Malachiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Malachiah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Malachiah 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 Malachiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Malachiah 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 Malachiah 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 are named Malachiah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.