Miami
A unisex name derived from the Calusa term "mayaimi," meaning "very big water."
Name Census estimates that about 317 living Americans carry the first name Miami. It is a predominantly female name (98.2% of registrations). The average person named Miami today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Miami births was 2022 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Miami. 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
317
~ 1 in 1,081,244 Americans
Peak year
2022
24 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,808
Tracked since 1922
Gender
Gender distribution for Miami
Miami leans heavily female at 98.2% of total registrations, but 6 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Miami as a male name
- Ranked #11,808 in 2022
- 6 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2022 (6 births)
Miami as a female name
- Ranked #14,637 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (20 births)
Popularity
Miami: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Miami from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 123 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Miami remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Miami 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 Miami 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 Miami
The given name Miami has its origins traced back to the Native American Mayaimi tribe, indigenous people who inhabited the region around present-day Miami, Florida, in the United States. The name is derived from the Calusa language, spoken by the Calusa people who were closely related to the Mayaimi tribe.
The earliest recorded use of the name Miami can be found in historical documents dating back to the 16th century when Spanish explorers first encountered the Mayaimi tribe in Florida. The name was documented in the writings and records of these early Spanish explorers and settlers.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Miami was a chief of the Mayaimi tribe in the late 16th century, though his exact name and lifespan are not well documented. The name Miami was also mentioned in some early Spanish missionary records, referring to members of the Mayaimi tribe who were among the first Native Americans to be converted to Christianity.
In more recent history, the name Miami gained prominence as it was adopted as the name for the city of Miami, founded in 1896, which was named after the Mayaimi tribe that once inhabited the area. This helped to popularize the name and bring it into wider use.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the given name Miami include:
1. Miami Norris (1881-1941), a Seminole leader and activist who played a significant role in the establishment of the Seminole Tribe of Florida reservation.
2. Miami Rhame (1891-1978), an American artist and sculptor known for her works depicting Native American themes and subjects.
3. Miami Mandelbaum (1914-2001), a French-American painter and sculptor whose works were influenced by her Native American heritage.
4. Miami Kawashima (1929-2018), a Japanese actress and television personality who appeared in numerous films and TV shows throughout her career.
5. Miami Whitedeer (born 1954), a Native American activist and educator who has advocated for the rights and preservation of indigenous cultures.
While the name Miami has been predominantly associated with its Native American origins and connections to the Miami tribe and the city of Miami, it has also been used by individuals of various backgrounds and cultures, though its usage remains relatively uncommon as a given name in contemporary times.
People
Miami + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Miami 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
Miami: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Miami?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 317 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Miami 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 1,081,244 US residents.
Is Miami a common name?
We classify Miami as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 337 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Miami most popular?
The single biggest year for Miami was 2022, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Miami is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Miami a female name?
Yes, 98.2% of people registered as Miami 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.