Messiyah
A feminine name derived from the Hebrew term for "anointed one".
Name Census estimates that about 150 living Americans carry the first name Messiyah. It is a predominantly male name (93.4% of registrations). The average person named Messiyah today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Messiyah births was 2020 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Messiyah. 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
150
~ 1 in 2,285,029 Americans
Peak year
2020
16 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,831
Tracked since 2006
Gender
Gender distribution for Messiyah
Messiyah leans heavily male at 93.4% of total registrations, but 10 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Messiyah as a male name
- Ranked #11,831 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (16 births)
Messiyah as a female name
- Ranked #18,634 in 2011
- 5 female births in 2011
- Peak: 2007 (5 births)
Popularity
Messiyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Messiyah 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 81 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Messiyah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Messiyah 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 Messiyah 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 Messiyah
The name Messiyah is a variation of the Hebrew name Messiah, which means "anointed one" or "chosen one." It has its roots in the ancient Semitic languages and is closely tied to the religious traditions of Judaism and Christianity.
The name Messiah appears prominently in the Hebrew Bible, particularly in reference to a future leader or king who would be anointed by God to bring salvation and deliver the people from oppression. The concept of a Messiah is central to the Jewish faith, with the expectation of a messianic figure who will usher in a new era of peace and righteousness.
In the Christian tradition, the name Messiah is associated with Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. The Greek translation of the Hebrew word "Messiah" is "Christos," from which the name "Christ" is derived.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Messiah can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of ancient Jewish manuscripts dating back to the last three centuries BCE and the first century CE. These scrolls contain references to the Messiah and the expectations surrounding this figure.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Messiah or its variations, including:
1. Messiah ben Joseph (c. 4th century BCE) – A Jewish figure mentioned in the Talmud as a precursor to the final Messiah.
2. Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676) – A Jewish mystic and self-proclaimed Messiah who gained a significant following in the 17th century.
3. Messiah Selah (c. 18th century) – A Jewish messianic claimant from Yemen who led a revolt against the Ottoman authorities.
4. Messiah Hamelekh (c. 19th century) – A Jewish mystic and messianic claimant from Persia who gained a following in the Middle East.
5. Messiah Chanoch (c. 19th century) – A Jewish mystic and messianic claimant from Morocco who gained a following in North Africa.
While the name Messiyah is relatively uncommon, it carries deep religious and historical significance, particularly within the Judeo-Christian traditions. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Hebrew language and the messianic expectations that have played a central role in these faiths.
People
Messiyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Messiyah 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
Messiyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Messiyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 150 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Messiyah 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 2,285,029 US residents.
Is Messiyah a common name?
We classify Messiyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 151 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Messiyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Messiyah was 2020, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Messiyah is about 9 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 Messiyah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Messiyah a male name?
Yes, 93.4% of people registered as Messiyah 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 Messiyah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Messiyah 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 Messiyah 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 Messiyah as a first name?
You can see how many people share the name Messiyah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.