Mekkah
Feminine name of Arabic origin, referring to the holy city of Mecca.
Name Census estimates that about 26 living Americans carry the first name Mekkah. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 61.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Mekkah today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mekkah births was 1995 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mekkah. 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 Mekkah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
26
~ 1 in 13,182,859 Americans
Peak year
1995
6 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,659
Tracked since 1995
Gender
Gender distribution for Mekkah
Mekkah is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 26 total registrations, 10 (38.5%) were male and 16 (61.5%) were female.
Mekkah as a male name
- Ranked #13,659 in 2022
- 5 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2020 (5 births)
Mekkah as a female name
- Ranked #17,032 in 2001
- 5 female births in 2001
- Peak: 1995 (6 births)
Popularity
Mekkah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mekkah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 11 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mekkah 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 Mekkah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mekkah
The name Mekkah traces its origins to the ancient Arabic language and culture, specifically referring to the holy city of Mecca in modern-day Saudi Arabia. This name is deeply rooted in Islamic traditions and holds significant religious and historical significance.
The word "Mecca" itself is derived from the Arabic word "Makkah," which means "the blessed place" or "the revered place." Mecca is considered the holiest city in Islam, as it is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the location of the Kaaba, a sacred cube-shaped building that serves as the direction of prayer for Muslims worldwide.
In Islamic scriptures and historical records, Mecca is frequently mentioned and holds a prominent place. The city is mentioned in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, and is described as the site where the first house of worship was built for the worship of the One God. The city is also significant in the Hadith, the recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Mekkah can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad and the early years of Islam. However, it is essential to note that the name was likely used even before this period, as Mecca was already a significant religious and cultural center in the Arabian Peninsula.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mekkah or its variations, reflecting its cultural and religious significance. Here are five examples:
1. Mekkah bin Hadhramawt (c. 6th century CE): An ancient Arabian ruler who is believed to have been one of the early founders of the city of Mecca.
2. Mekkah al-Mukarramah (c. 8th century CE): A renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Mecca who contributed significantly to the development of Islamic jurisprudence.
3. Mekkah bint al-Walid (c. 9th century CE): A prominent female poet and writer from Mecca who was known for her eloquence and literary contributions.
4. Mekkah bin Muhammad al-Makki (c. 10th century CE): A celebrated Sufi mystic and scholar who authored several influential works on Islamic spirituality and philosophy.
5. Mekkah bin Abi Talib (c. 12th century CE): A renowned Islamic mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the advancement of science in the medieval Islamic world.
It is important to note that while the name Mekkah holds deep religious and cultural significance, its usage has primarily been confined to the Islamic world and regions with strong historical and cultural ties to the Arabian Peninsula. The name serves as a powerful reminder of the pivotal role that Mecca has played in the development and propagation of the Islamic faith throughout the centuries.
People
Mekkah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mekkah 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
Mekkah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mekkah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 26 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mekkah 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 13,182,859 US residents.
Is Mekkah a common name?
We classify Mekkah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mekkah most popular?
The single biggest year for Mekkah was 1995, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mekkah is about 19 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 Mekkah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mekkah a female name?
Yes, 61.5% of people registered as Mekkah 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.
Is Mekkah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mekkah 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 Mekkah 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 Americans are named Mekkah?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Mekkah at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.