Mescal
A name derived from the Nahuatl word "mexcalli," referring to an agave plant used for making alcoholic beverages.
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Mescal. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mescal today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mescal births was 1924 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mescal. 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
- • The typical person named Mescal is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Mescals were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mescal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1924
22 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1948 SSA rank
#5,074
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Mescal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mescal from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 119 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mescal 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 Mescal 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 Mescal
The name Mescal has its origins in the Nahuatl language of the Aztec people in what is now central Mexico. It is derived from the Nahuatl word "mexcalli," which referred to a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the agave plant. This name was likely given to children as a way to honor this important cultural and spiritual element of Aztec society.
The earliest known recorded use of the name Mescal dates back to the 16th century, shortly after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Spanish chroniclers and missionaries documented the name and its meaning in their writings and records from that time period. However, it is likely that the name was in use among the Aztec people for centuries prior to the arrival of the Spanish.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Mescal was a Nahua woman named Mescalina, who lived in the late 16th century. She was a respected healer and midwife in the community of Xochimilco, and her name was recorded in Spanish colonial records from the time.
In the 17th century, a man named Mescal Huitzilihuitzin was a prominent figure in the Nahua resistance against Spanish rule. He was a leader in the Tzeltal Maya uprising of 1712 and played a significant role in efforts to preserve indigenous cultural traditions and autonomy.
During the Mexican War of Independence in the early 19th century, a revolutionary soldier named Mescal Jiménez fought alongside Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morelos. He was known for his bravery and unwavering commitment to the cause of Mexican independence from Spain.
In the 20th century, Mescal González was a renowned Mexican artist and muralist. Born in 1910, he was part of the influential Mexican Muralism movement and his works adorned numerous public buildings and institutions throughout Mexico.
Lastly, Mescal Chávez was a prominent Mexican writer and poet in the latter half of the 20th century. Born in 1932, she was known for her powerful and evocative works that explored themes of indigenous identity, social justice, and the role of women in Mexican society.
People
Mescal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mescal 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
Mescal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mescal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mescal 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 Mescal a common name?
We classify Mescal 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, 179 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mescal most popular?
The single biggest year for Mescal was 1924, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mescal is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mescal a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mescal 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.