Menachem
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "comforter" or "one who comforts".
Name Census estimates that about 6,708 living Americans carry the first name Menachem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Menachem today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Menachem births was 2014 (212 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Menachem. 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
6.7K
~ 1 in 51,096 Americans
Peak year
2014
212 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,063
Tracked since 1948
Popularity
Menachem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Menachem from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,880 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Menachem remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Menachem 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 Menachem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Menachems live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, California recorded the most babies named Menachem, while Ohio, Georgia, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 490 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Menachem
The name Menachem originates from the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew root word "nacham," which means "to comfort" or "to console." The name carries the meaning of "comforter" or "one who consoles."
In the Hebrew Bible, the name Menachem appears in several instances. One notable reference is in the Book of Kings, where Menachem is mentioned as the king of Israel who reigned from around 742 to 737 BCE. He is described as a brutal ruler who secured his throne through violence.
Another significant figure bearing the name Menachem is the famous Jewish scholar and commentator, Menachem Meiri, who lived in the 13th century. He is renowned for his comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, known as the "Beit HaBechirah."
In the realm of Hasidic Judaism, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, also known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was a prominent figure who led the Chabad-Lubavitch movement from 1950 until his passing in 1994. He was widely respected for his teachings and his efforts to revitalize and spread Jewish education and observance worldwide.
Another notable figure was Menachem Begin, an Israeli politician and the sixth Prime Minister of Israel. He served from 1977 to 1983 and was a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 for his efforts in achieving the Camp David Accords with Egypt.
Menachem Av Sholom, a Polish-born Hasidic rabbi and leader of the Kamarna Hasidic dynasty, lived from 1883 to 1936. He was known for his wisdom and his influence on the Hasidic community in Poland and Ukraine.
It is important to note that while the name Menachem has its roots in ancient Hebrew and Jewish culture, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and communities around the world, carrying its meaning of "comforter" or "one who consoles."
Notable bearers
Famous people named Menachem
People
Menachem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Menachem 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
Menachem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Menachem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,708 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Menachem 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 51,096 US residents.
Is Menachem a common name?
We classify Menachem as "Rare". It ranks above 97.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,855 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Menachem most popular?
The single biggest year for Menachem was 2014, when 212 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Menachem is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Menachem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Menachem 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.