Meklit
An Ethiopian feminine given name derived from the Semitic root meaning "humble".
Name Census estimates that about 493 living Americans carry the first name Meklit. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Meklit today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meklit births was 2017 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meklit. 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
493
~ 1 in 695,242 Americans
Peak year
2017
40 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,716
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Meklit: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meklit from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 305 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Meklit remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meklit 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 Meklit during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Meklits live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Washington, Texas, Maryland recorded the most babies named Meklit, while District of Columbia, Colorado, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Meklit
The name Meklit is a feminine given name of Ethiopian origin. It is derived from the Amharic language, one of the Semitic languages spoken in Ethiopia. The name is believed to have emerged around the 4th century AD, during the Aksumite Empire, which was a major naval and trading power in the region.
The name Meklit is thought to be derived from the Amharic word "mekelak," which means "plant" or "vegetation." This connection to nature and growth may have been significant in the naming traditions of ancient Ethiopia, where agriculture and the fertility of the land were highly valued.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meklit can be found in the Kebra Nagast, a 14th-century literary work that recounts the glory of the Aksumite Empire and the legend of the Queen of Sheba. In this text, Meklit is mentioned as the name of a servant who attended to the Queen.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Meklit. One of the most famous was Meklit Abera (1976-present), an Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter known for her fusion of traditional Ethiopian melodies with jazz and folk influences. Her music has been celebrated for its artistic expression and cultural preservation.
Another notable Meklit was Meklit Hailu (1940-2019), an Ethiopian politician and women's rights activist. She served as a member of the Ethiopian Parliament and was a vocal advocate for gender equality and the empowerment of women in her country.
In the realm of literature, Meklit Lema (1928-2003) was an acclaimed Ethiopian author and playwright. Her works, which often explored themes of tradition, identity, and social change, were influential in shaping the modern literary landscape of Ethiopia.
Meklit Amare (1972-present) is a renowned Ethiopian painter and visual artist. Her vibrant and expressive works, which often incorporate elements of Ethiopian culture and tradition, have been exhibited internationally and are held in numerous collections around the world.
Meklit Yilma (1949-present) is an Ethiopian diplomat and former ambassador to several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. She has played a significant role in promoting international relations and representing Ethiopia on the global stage.
People
Meklit + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meklit 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
Meklit: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meklit?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 493 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meklit 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 695,242 US residents.
Is Meklit a common name?
We classify Meklit as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 497 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meklit most popular?
The single biggest year for Meklit was 2017, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meklit is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Meklit a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meklit 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.