Missiah
A feminine name derived from the word "messiah", possibly symbolizing a savior or anointed one.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Missiah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Missiah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Missiah births was 2015 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Missiah. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Missiah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2015
5 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2015 SSA rank
#13,400
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Missiah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Missiah 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 Missiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Missiah
The name Missiah is a modern invention, believed to be a misspelling or creative variation of the name Messiah, which has its origins in the Hebrew language. The word "messiah" comes from the Hebrew mashiach, meaning "anointed one" or "chosen one." It refers to a savior or liberator of a group of people, often in a religious or spiritual context.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the term Messiah is often used to refer to Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). The name Messiah is closely associated with the concept of a savior or redeemer who would bring salvation and deliverance to humanity.
While the name Missiah is not found in ancient texts or historical records, it is likely a modern variation or misspelling of the name Messiah. There are no known prominent historical figures who have borne the name Missiah directly.
However, it is worth noting that the name Messiah has been used by various individuals throughout history, often with religious or spiritual connotations. Here are five examples of people named Messiah:
1. Messiah Marcellus Singers (born 1981), an American singer and songwriter.
2. Messiah Rhodes (born 1983), an American professional wrestler.
3. Messiah Cartwright (born 1999), an American football player.
4. Messiah Booker (born 2005), an American child who was at the center of a legal dispute over his name.
5. Messiah Hallberg (born 2010), a Swedish child whose name was initially rejected by authorities but later allowed.
These individuals, while not bearing the name Missiah directly, demonstrate the use of the related name Messiah, which carries significant religious and cultural significance, particularly in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
People
Missiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Missiah 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
Missiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Missiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Missiah 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Missiah a common name?
We classify Missiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Missiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Missiah was 2015, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Missiah is about 11 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 Missiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Missiah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Missiah 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 Missiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Missiah 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 Missiah 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 share the name Missiah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.