Malichi
A Hebrew name meaning "my messenger" or "messenger of God".
Name Census estimates that about 510 living Americans carry the first name Malichi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Malichi today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Malichi births was 2004 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Malichi. 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
510
~ 1 in 672,067 Americans
Peak year
2004
37 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,446
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Malichi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Malichi 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 232 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
Malichi 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 Malichi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Malichis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Malichi
The name Malichi has its roots in the Hebrew language and culture, originating from the biblical name Malachi, which means "my messenger" or "messenger of God." The name is derived from the Hebrew words "mal'akh" meaning "messenger" and "Yah" referring to God.
The name Malachi is found in the Old Testament of the Bible, where it is the name of one of the twelve minor prophets and the last book of the Hebrew Bible. The Book of Malachi is believed to have been written around the 5th century BCE, making it one of the earliest recorded instances of the name.
In ancient times, the name Malachi was primarily used by Jewish communities, particularly those in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. It was a name imbued with religious significance, reflecting the importance of messengers and prophets in Hebrew tradition.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Malichi was Malichi ben Judah, a Jewish scholar and poet who lived in the 12th century CE in Spain. He is known for his work in biblical exegesis and his contributions to the study of Hebrew grammar.
Another notable figure with the name Malichi was Malichi ibn al-Hariri, an 11th-century Jewish philosopher and physician from Spain. He was renowned for his writings on medicine and philosophy, and his works were widely studied in the medieval Islamic world.
In the 16th century, Malichi Reuben was a prominent Jewish scholar and kabbalist from Italy. He was known for his teachings on the mystical aspects of Judaism and his commentaries on the Zohar, a foundational text of the Kabbalah.
The name Malichi also appears in the historical records of the British Isles. Malichi Vander, a Dutch-born merchant, was one of the earliest settlers in the British colony of Virginia in the early 17th century, arriving in 1619.
In the realm of literature, Malichi Dugard was an English writer and educator who lived in the 17th century. He is best known for his work titled "A System of General Geography," which was an influential textbook on geography during that time.
While the name Malichi has its origins in Hebrew and Jewish traditions, it has been adopted by various cultures and communities over time, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its connection to the biblical prophet Malachi and the notion of being a messenger remains a central aspect of its meaning and significance.
People
Malichi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Malichi 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
Malichi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malichi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 510 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Malichi 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 672,067 US residents.
Is Malichi a common name?
We classify Malichi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 516 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Malichi most popular?
The single biggest year for Malichi was 2004, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Malichi is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Malichi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Malichi 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.