Mesiah
A Hebrew name derived from the Hebrew word "mashiah," meaning "anointed one."
Name Census estimates that about 479 living Americans carry the first name Mesiah. It is a predominantly male name (99.0% of registrations). The average person named Mesiah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mesiah births was 2017 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mesiah. 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
479
~ 1 in 715,562 Americans
Peak year
2017
40 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,641
Tracked since 1999
Gender
Gender distribution for Mesiah
Mesiah leans heavily male at 99.0% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Mesiah as a male name
- Ranked #4,641 in 2024
- 22 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2017 (40 births)
Mesiah as a female name
- Ranked #19,539 in 2007
- 5 female births in 2007
- Peak: 2007 (5 births)
Popularity
Mesiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mesiah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 234 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mesiah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mesiah 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 Mesiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mesiahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Florida, Georgia recorded the most babies named Mesiah, while Georgia, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mesiah
The name Mesiah has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, stemming from the word "mashiah," which means "anointed one." This term is closely tied to the concept of the Messiah in Abrahamic religions, particularly Judaism and Christianity.
In ancient Hebrew scriptures, the term "mashiah" was used to refer to a divinely appointed king or leader who was anointed with oil as a symbolic gesture. This practice dates back to the biblical era, where kings and prophets were anointed as a sign of their sacred calling and authority.
The earliest recorded use of the name Mesiah can be found in the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament. The Book of Daniel mentions the "Anointed One" (Messiah) in reference to a future leader who would usher in a time of restoration and redemption.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Mesiah. One of the most prominent was Mesiah ben Joseph, a Jewish scholar from the 16th century who wrote extensively on Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism. He was born in Safed, Palestine, in 1505 and died in 1575.
Another noteworthy individual was Mesiah ben Judah, a Moroccan rabbi and scholar who lived in the 18th century. He was born in Fez in 1720 and is remembered for his contributions to Jewish law and commentary on the Talmud.
In the realm of literature, Mesiah ben Jacob was a notable figure from the 13th century. Born in Spain in 1240, he was a renowned poet and author who wrote extensively in Hebrew and Arabic.
The name Mesiah also has a presence in religious history. Mesiah ben David was a Jewish Hasidic rabbi who lived in the late 18th century and is regarded as a key figure in the early Hasidic movement in Eastern Europe.
Lastly, Mesiah ben Elijah was a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher from the 16th century. Born in Italy in 1540, he wrote extensively on Jewish law, philosophy, and mysticism, leaving a lasting impact on the intellectual discourse of his time.
People
Mesiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mesiah 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
Mesiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mesiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 479 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mesiah 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 715,562 US residents.
Is Mesiah a common name?
We classify Mesiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 483 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mesiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Mesiah was 2017, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mesiah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mesiah a male name?
Yes, 99.0% of people registered as Mesiah 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.