Malchijah
A name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh is my king".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Malchijah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Malchijah today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Malchijah births was 1998 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Malchijah. 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 Malchijah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1998
5 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
1998 SSA rank
#10,663
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Malchijah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Malchijah 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 Malchijah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Malchijah
The name Malchijah originates from the Hebrew language and culture. It is an ancient name that can be traced back to biblical times, around the 6th century BC. The name is derived from the Hebrew words "malki" meaning "my king" and "Yah" which is a shortened form of the divine name Yahweh, thus meaning "my king is Yahweh" or "Yahweh is my king".
The name Malchijah is found in the Old Testament of the Bible. It appears in the Book of Ezra, where Malchijah is mentioned as one of the leaders who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile. The name is also mentioned in the Book of Nehemiah, where Malchijah is listed among those who helped to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Malchijah was a priest who lived during the time of Nehemiah, around 445 BC. He is mentioned in Nehemiah 10:3 as one of the priests who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah.
Another notable individual named Malchijah was a goldsmith mentioned in Nehemiah 3:31. He is recorded as having worked on the repair of the walls of Jerusalem during Nehemiah's time.
In the Book of Jeremiah, a man named Malchijah is mentioned as the father of Pashur, who was a priest and an officer in the house of the Lord during the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah (597-586 BC).
In the post-biblical era, there are few historical records of individuals with the name Malchijah. However, the name did continue to be used within Jewish communities over the centuries.
One notable figure with the name Malchijah was a 16th-century Italian Jewish scholar and rabbi, Malchijah ben Jacob ha-Kohen (born around 1490). He was a prominent figure in the Jewish community of Pisa and authored several works on Jewish law and philosophy.
Another individual named Malchijah was Malchijah Zevi, a 17th-century Italian rabbi and kabbalist (born around 1620). He was a noted scholar and author of several works on Jewish mysticism and the Kabbalah.
While not a common name in modern times, the ancient Hebrew name Malchijah has a rich history and significant religious and cultural significance, particularly within the Jewish tradition.
People
Malchijah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Malchijah 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
Malchijah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malchijah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Malchijah 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 Malchijah a common name?
We classify Malchijah 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 Malchijah most popular?
The single biggest year for Malchijah was 1998, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Malchijah is about 28 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 Malchijah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Malchijah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Malchijah 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 Malchijah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Malchijah 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 Malchijah 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 called Malchijah?
You can see how many people have the name Malchijah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.