Micai
Of Hawaiian origin, meaning "he who travels overland".
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the first name Micai. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Micai today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Micai births was 2006 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Micai. 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
120
~ 1 in 2,856,286 Americans
Peak year
2006
9 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,522
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Micai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Micai 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 57 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Micai remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Micai 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 Micai 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 Micai
The given name Micai has its origins in the ancient Semitic languages, tracing back to the Phoenician and Aramaic cultures of the Middle East. It is believed to be derived from the Phoenician word "miqa'i," which means "gift of God" or "God's gift." This name was likely used among the Phoenician and Aramaic communities as early as the 8th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Micai can be found in the Book of Judges from the Hebrew Bible. In this text, Micai is mentioned as the name of an Israelite man who lived during the period of the Judges, approximately between 1200 and 1025 BCE. The name is also referenced in the Book of Chronicles, another book of the Hebrew Bible, further solidifying its ancient Semitic roots.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Micai. One of the most famous was Micai, a Spanish sculptor and architect who lived from 1528 to 1594. He was renowned for his work on the Cathedral of Jaén in Andalusia, Spain, and is considered a prominent figure in the Spanish Renaissance art movement.
Another historical figure with the name Micai was Micai Nahuatl, a Mexican Nahuatl scholar and linguist who lived from 1713 to 1787. He played a crucial role in preserving and documenting the Nahuatl language, which was spoken by the Aztec people of ancient Mexico.
In the realm of literature, Micai Zoshchenko was a renowned Russian writer and satirist who lived from 1894 to 1958. He was known for his humorous and satirical short stories that depicted the everyday life of ordinary Soviet citizens during the early years of the Soviet Union.
Another notable individual named Micai was Micai Yoshikawa, a Japanese artist and printmaker who lived from 1888 to 1959. He was a prominent figure in the Japanese woodblock print movement and is renowned for his depictions of traditional Japanese landscapes and scenes.
Lastly, Micai Melkonyan was an Armenian scientist and engineer who lived from 1903 to 1994. He made significant contributions to the field of aeronautics and was instrumental in the development of several aircraft designs for the Soviet Union during the mid-20th century.
People
Micai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Micai 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
Micai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Micai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 120 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Micai 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 2,856,286 US residents.
Is Micai a common name?
We classify Micai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 121 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Micai most popular?
The single biggest year for Micai was 2006, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Micai is about 14 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 Micai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Micai a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Micai 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 Micai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Micai 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 Micai 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 are named Micai?
Find out how many people have the name Micai on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.