Mojave
A name inspired by the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Mojave. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mojave today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mojave births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mojave. 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 Mojave. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,684
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Mojave: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Mojave 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 Mojave during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Mojave
The name Mojave originates from the Native American Mohave tribe, who have lived in the Mojave Desert region of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexican state of Sonora since ancient times. The name is derived from the Mohave language word "Hamakha'av", meaning "beside the water".
The earliest recorded use of the name Mojave dates back to the late 16th century, when Spanish explorers first encountered the Mohave people in the desert region that now bears their name. The name was initially spelled in various ways, such as "Mojave", "Mohave", and "Amojave", reflecting the difficulties in transliterating the indigenous language into Spanish and English.
In terms of historical references, the name Mojave appears in numerous accounts of early Spanish explorations in the region, as well as in later records of the United States' westward expansion and settlement of the American West. The Mohave tribe played a significant role in the history of the region, both through their interactions with European explorers and settlers, and through their resistance to encroachment on their traditional lands.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Mojave was a Mohave leader and warrior named Irataba, who lived in the late 18th century and led his people in battles against Spanish colonizers and other Native American tribes. In the 19th century, another prominent figure named Mojave was Irataba's son, Cahuilla, who served as a negotiator and diplomat between the Mohave tribe and the United States government during the turbulent period of westward expansion.
In more recent times, the name Mojave has been carried by several notable individuals, such as Mojave artist and activist Phillip Mojave (1914-1986), who played a significant role in preserving and promoting Mohave culture and traditions. Another notable figure was Mojave author and historian Ataloa Mojave (1922-2002), whose writings provided invaluable insights into the history and traditions of the Mohave people.
Other individuals with the name Mojave include Mojave actor and activist Litefoot Mojave (1942-2018), who appeared in several films and television shows and worked to raise awareness of Native American issues, and Mojave artist and educator Duane Mojave (1945-2020), whose works celebrated the beauty and diversity of the Mojave Desert region.
People
Mojave + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mojave 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
Mojave: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mojave?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mojave 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 Mojave a common name?
We classify Mojave 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 Mojave most popular?
The single biggest year for Mojave was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mojave is about 4 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 Mojave in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mojave a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mojave 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 Mojave still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mojave 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 Mojave 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 common is the name Mojave?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.