Mykaela
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly derived from Michael.
Name Census estimates that about 1,095 living Americans carry the first name Mykaela. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mykaela today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mykaela births was 1998 (92 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mykaela. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 313,018 Americans
Peak year
1998
92 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,677
Tracked since 1990
Census
Mykaela in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 957 people with the first name Mykaela, which placed it at #12,829 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
#12,829
National first-name rank
People counted
957
957 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
49.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mykaela
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mykaela is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.3%) and Black (15.9%). 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 Mykaela 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 Mykaela at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.2% · 471
- Hispanic or Latino20.3% · 194
- Black or African American15.9% · 152
- Two or more races10.7% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 9
Popularity
Mykaela: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mykaela from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 503 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mykaela 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 Mykaela during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mykaelas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Texas, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Mykaela, while Colorado, Ohio, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mykaela
The name Mykaela is a relatively modern variation of the traditional name Michael, which has its roots in the Hebrew language. The name Michael is derived from the Hebrew phrase "mi ke-El," meaning "who is like God." This name was commonly used in ancient Hebrew texts and scriptures, including the Old Testament of the Bible.
In its original Hebrew form, the name Michael was predominantly masculine. However, over time, as the name spread to other languages and cultures, variations emerged, including the feminized forms Michaela and Mykaela. The latter spelling, Mykaela, is a more recent adaptation that became popular in the late 20th century, particularly in English-speaking countries.
The earliest known instances of the name Mykaela can be traced back to the late 19th century, although its usage was relatively rare at that time. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Mykaela Bruning, a German-born writer and poet who lived from 1871 to 1942.
In the 20th century, the name Mykaela gained some recognition, particularly in the United States. One notable individual with this name was Mykaela Howe, an American violinist and composer who was born in 1942 and made significant contributions to contemporary classical music.
Another prominent figure with the name Mykaela was Mykaela Fernandez, an Argentine actress and model who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s. She was born in 1964 and is best known for her roles in various telenovelas and films.
In the realm of sports, Mykaela Shiffrin, an American Alpine ski racer, has achieved remarkable success. Born in 1995, she has won multiple Olympic and World Championship medals, establishing herself as one of the most accomplished skiers of her generation.
Lastly, Mykaela Saunders, a Canadian actress and singer, has gained recognition for her roles in various television shows and movies, particularly in the fantasy and sci-fi genres. She was born in 1992 and continues to build an impressive acting career.
While the name Mykaela is still relatively uncommon compared to its more traditional counterparts, it has gained popularity in recent decades, particularly among parents seeking unique and distinctive names for their children. However, it remains rooted in the ancient Hebrew name Michael, carrying a rich historical and cultural significance.
People
Mykaela + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mykaela 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
Mykaela: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mykaela?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,095 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mykaela 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 313,018 US residents.
Is Mykaela a common name?
We classify Mykaela as "Rare". It ranks above 90.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,116 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mykaela most popular?
The single biggest year for Mykaela was 1998, when 92 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mykaela is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mykaela in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 957 people with the name Mykaela, or 0.32 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,829 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 Mykaela 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 Mykaela?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mykaela appears almost entirely female. Of the 957 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Mykaela?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mykaela is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.3%) and Black (15.9%). 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 Mykaela most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mykaela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.2% (471 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 Mykaela in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mykaela a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mykaela 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 Mykaela still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mykaela 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 Mykaela 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 Mykaela?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.