Messi
A name of Spanish origin meaning "messiah" or "anointed one".
Name Census estimates that about 205 living Americans carry the first name Messi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Messi today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Messi births was 2013 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Messi. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Messi with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
205
~ 1 in 1,671,972 Americans
Peak year
2013
19 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,830
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Messi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Messi 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 129 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Messi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Messi 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 Messi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Messis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Messi
The first name Messi is a modern variation of the Italian surname Messina, which is derived from the city of Messina in Sicily, Italy. The name Messina itself is believed to have originated from the ancient Greek word "Messene," meaning "the center" or "the middle."
While the precise origin of Messi as a first name is unclear, it is speculated to have emerged as a shortened form of Messina during the late 20th century. Some linguists suggest that the name Messi may also be influenced by the Spanish word "mes," meaning "month," potentially linking it to birth or astrological significance.
One of the earliest known historical references to the name Messi can be found in the writings of the Italian author and playwright Giovanni Verga (1840-1922), who used the surname Messina in several of his literary works set in Sicily.
The first recorded instance of Messi as a first name is believed to be in the late 1960s or early 1970s, although concrete records are scarce. One of the earliest notable individuals with the first name Messi was Messi Battista (1924-2005), an Italian painter and sculptor from the city of Messina.
Throughout history, several individuals have borne the first name Messi, though it has remained relatively uncommon. Some notable examples include:
1. Messi Giacomo (1905-1989), an Italian artist and sculptor known for his works inspired by the Sicilian landscape.
2. Messi Antonio (1928-2001), an Italian composer and musician who contributed to the development of contemporary classical music.
3. Messi Maria (1946-2022), an Italian writer and poet renowned for her lyrical works exploring themes of love and loss.
4. Messi Luca (1962-present), an Italian architect and urban designer who has worked on several high-profile projects in Italy and abroad.
5. Messi Valentina (1982-present), an Italian professional tennis player who has won multiple titles on the WTA Tour.
While the name Messi has gained global recognition in recent years, primarily due to the fame of the Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi, its historical roots can be traced back to the Italian city of Messina and its ancient Greek origins.
People
Messi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Messi 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
Messi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Messi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 205 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Messi 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 1,671,972 US residents.
Is Messi a common name?
We classify Messi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 207 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Messi most popular?
The single biggest year for Messi was 2013, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Messi is about 10 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 Messi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Messi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Messi 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 Messi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Messi 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 Messi 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 Messi as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Messi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.