Mekhi
Of Arabic origin, meaning "possessor of power, dignity and nobility".
Name Census estimates that about 12,163 living Americans carry the first name Mekhi. It is a predominantly male name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Mekhi today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mekhi births was 2005 (868 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mekhi. 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
- • Although Mekhi is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 113 girls registered with the name since 1880.
- • Mekhi is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
12K
~ 1 in 28,180 Americans
Peak year
2005
868 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,024
Tracked since 1995
Gender
Gender distribution for Mekhi
Out of the 12,287 babies given the name Mekhi since 1880, 99.1% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Mekhi as a male name
- Ranked #1,024 in 2024
- 217 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2005 (861 births)
Mekhi as a female name
- Ranked #18,327 in 2014
- 5 female births in 2014
- Peak: 1999 (14 births)
Popularity
Mekhi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mekhi 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 5,850 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
Mekhi 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 Mekhi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mekhis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 38 states and territories. New York, Florida, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Mekhi, while Nebraska, Utah, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 292 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mekhi
The name Mekhi is a relatively modern name that emerged in the late 20th century. Its origins can be traced back to the Arabic language, where it is derived from the root word "khi" meaning "brother" or "protector." The prefix "me-" is often added to Arabic names to denote the meaning "from" or "belonging to."
While the exact origin of the name Mekhi is uncertain, it is believed to have been influenced by the popularity of similar-sounding Arabic names such as Mehdi, which means "the guided one," and Mikail, which is the Arabic form of the name Michael, meaning "who is like God."
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Mekhi can be found in the late 1990s, when it began gaining popularity in the United States, particularly among African American communities. However, there are no significant historical references or famous individuals from ancient times associated with this name.
Among the notable people who have borne the name Mekhi throughout history are:
1. Mekhi Phifer (born 1975), an American actor known for his roles in films such as "8 Mile" and "Dawn of the Dead."
2. Mekhi Becton (born 1999), an American football offensive tackle who plays for the New York Jets in the National Football League.
3. Mekhi Sargent (born 1998), an American football running back who played for the University of Iowa.
4. Mekhi Sargent (born 1998), an American basketball player who played for the University of Missouri.
5. Mekhi Wingo (born 2002), an American basketball player who currently plays for the University of Missouri.
While the name Mekhi has gained popularity in recent decades, particularly in the United States, its historical roots and cultural significance remain relatively limited compared to other names with longer histories and more extensive use across various cultures and regions.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Mekhi
People
Mekhi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mekhi 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
Mekhi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mekhi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12,163 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mekhi 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 28,180 US residents.
Is Mekhi a common name?
We classify Mekhi as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12,287 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mekhi most popular?
The single biggest year for Mekhi was 2005, when 868 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mekhi is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mekhi a male name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Mekhi 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.