Mycala
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "belonging to the sea".
Name Census estimates that about 85 living Americans carry the first name Mycala. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mycala today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mycala births was 1997 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mycala. 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 Mycala. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
85
~ 1 in 4,032,404 Americans
Peak year
1997
15 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2004 SSA rank
#13,754
Tracked since 1994
Census
Mycala in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 105 people with the first name Mycala, which placed it at #52,717 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#52,717
National first-name rank
People counted
105
105 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
70.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mycala
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mycala is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Hispanic (10.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mycala described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mycala at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.5% · 74
- Black or African American10.5% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 11
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Popularity
Mycala: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mycala from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 54 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Mycala remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mycala 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 Mycala 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 Mycala
The name Mycala is derived from the ancient Greek language and has its roots in the word "mykalos," which means "beautiful" or "lovely." This name first gained popularity during the classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th century BCE.
In Greek mythology, Mycala was the name of a nymph who was known for her exceptional beauty and grace. She was often depicted in art and literature as a symbol of natural splendor and feminine charm. The name was also associated with the island of Samos, where a town called Mycale was located.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mycala can be found in the writings of the Greek philosopher Plato, who lived from 428 BCE to 348 BCE. In his work "The Republic," Plato mentions a character named Mycala, though little is known about her significance.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Mycala. One of the most famous was Mycala of Byzantium, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the 5th century CE. She was known for her teachings on Neoplatonism and her contributions to the intellectual discourse of her time.
Another notable Mycala was Mycala of Rhodes, a skilled sculptor who lived in the 2nd century BCE. Her works, though largely lost to time, were praised for their intricate details and realistic representations of human form.
In the literary realm, Mycala of Alexandria was a celebrated poet and playwright who lived during the 3rd century BCE. Her works, unfortunately, have not survived, but she was highly regarded by her contemporaries for her eloquence and creative expression.
Mycala of Chios, born around 480 BCE, was a notable painter who specialized in portraiture. Her works were admired for their vivid colors and lifelike depictions, earning her a reputation as one of the most accomplished artists of her era.
Despite its ancient Greek origins, the name Mycala has endured throughout the centuries, albeit with varying levels of popularity. Its connection to beauty and grace has remained a constant thread, making it a timeless choice for parents seeking a name with a rich historical and cultural significance.
People
Mycala + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mycala 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
Mycala: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mycala?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 85 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mycala 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 4,032,404 US residents.
Is Mycala a common name?
We classify Mycala as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 87 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mycala most popular?
The single biggest year for Mycala was 1997, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mycala is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mycala in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 105 people with the name Mycala, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #52,717 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mycala in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mycala?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mycala appears almost entirely female. Of the 106 people counted with this name, 99.1% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mycala?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mycala is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Hispanic (10.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mycala most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mycala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.5% (74 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Mycala in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mycala a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mycala 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.
Is Mycala still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mycala 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 Mycala 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.
How many Americans are named Mycala?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Mycala at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.