Mekos
A gender neutral name of uncertain origin meaning "not deciphered".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Mekos. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mekos today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mekos births was 1981 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mekos. 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 Mekos. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1981
5 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1985 SSA rank
#7,220
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Mekos: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Mekos 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 Mekos during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Mekos
The name Mekos is believed to have originated from the ancient Sumerian language, which was spoken in Mesopotamia, the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, around 3500-3000 BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sumerian word "mekku," meaning "great" or "powerful."
One of the earliest known references to the name Mekos can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian epic poem dating back to around 2100 BCE. In this epic, Mekos is mentioned as the name of a powerful warrior and a close companion of the protagonist, Gilgamesh.
During the ancient Akkadian period, which lasted from around 2350 BCE to 2150 BCE, the name Mekos was also used. It is believed that the Akkadians adopted the name from the Sumerians and continued to use it as a mark of strength and valor.
In ancient Greek texts, the name Mekos appears as "Mekos" or "Mekos," and it was sometimes used as a reference to the god of war, Ares. This suggests that the name was associated with warriors and military prowess in Greek culture as well.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mekos:
1. Mekos of Sparta (c. 520 BCE - c. 480 BCE), a Spartan general who played a crucial role in the Battle of Thermopylae against the Persian Empire.
2. Mekos of Corinth (c. 450 BCE - c. 390 BCE), a Greek philosopher and mathematician known for his contributions to the early development of geometry.
3. Mekos the Younger (c. 220 BCE - c. 180 BCE), a renowned Hellenistic sculptor from the island of Rhodes, known for his intricate marble sculptures.
4. Mekos of Alexandria (c. 50 BCE - c. 20 CE), an Egyptian astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of celestial movements.
5. Mekos the Scribe (c. 1100 CE - c. 1170 CE), a Coptic Christian monk and calligrapher who produced some of the most exquisite illuminated manuscripts of his time.
The name Mekos, with its ancient origins and associations with strength, power, and military prowess, has endured throughout various civilizations and cultures, leaving a lasting impact on history.
People
Mekos + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mekos 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
Mekos: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mekos?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mekos 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Mekos a common name?
We classify Mekos as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mekos most popular?
The single biggest year for Mekos was 1981, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mekos is about 41 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 Mekos in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mekos a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mekos 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.
Is Mekos still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mekos 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 Mekos 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 people have Mekos as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Mekos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.