Mekayla
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variation of Michaela.
Name Census estimates that about 1,631 living Americans carry the first name Mekayla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mekayla today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mekayla births was 1998 (118 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mekayla. 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
1.6K
~ 1 in 210,150 Americans
Peak year
1998
118 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,966
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Mekayla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mekayla from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 749 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
Mekayla 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 Mekayla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mekaylas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Mekayla, while South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mekayla
The name Mekayla is a relatively modern variation of the traditional name Michaela, which has its origins in the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God?". The earliest recorded use of the name Mekayla can be traced back to the late 20th century, when it began to gain popularity as a feminine form of the name Michael.
While the name Mekayla does not have a long historical lineage, its roots in the name Michael do. The name Michael has been around for centuries and has been widely used in various cultures and religions. In the Bible, Michael is the name of an archangel who is revered in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Michael can be found in the Book of Daniel, which dates back to around the 6th century BC. In this text, Michael is described as a protector and defender of the Jewish people. The name Michael later became popular among early Christians, who saw it as a symbol of strength and courage.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Michael or its variations, including the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos (1223-1282), the Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo (1475-1564), and the Irish revolutionary Michael Collins (1890-1922).
While the name Mekayla is a more recent addition to the lexicon, it has already been adopted by several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded examples is Mekayla Diehl, an American actress born in 1995, who has appeared in several television shows and films. Another notable bearer of the name is Mekayla Eppers, a Canadian singer-songwriter born in 1997.
Other individuals with the name Mekayla include Mekayla Brianne Browne, a Jamaican sprinter born in 1992; Mekayla Carn, an American soccer player born in 1996; and Mekayla Dillard, an American boxer born in 1990.
While the name Mekayla is still relatively new, its connection to the ancient and widely-used name Michael gives it a sense of historical significance and meaning. As more individuals adopt this name, it is likely that its legacy will continue to grow and evolve.
People
Mekayla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mekayla 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
Mekayla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mekayla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,631 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mekayla 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 210,150 US residents.
Is Mekayla a common name?
We classify Mekayla as "Rare". It ranks above 92.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,665 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mekayla most popular?
The single biggest year for Mekayla was 1998, when 118 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mekayla is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mekayla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mekayla in the SSA data are female. 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.