Maile
From Hawaiian, meaning "calm, tranquil, peaceful".
Name Census estimates that about 3,382 living Americans carry the first name Maile. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maile today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maile births was 2007 (154 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maile. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Maile with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.4K
~ 1 in 101,347 Americans
Peak year
2007
154 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,606
Tracked since 1919
Census
Maile in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,419 people with the first name Maile, which placed it at #5,127 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
#5,127
National first-name rank
People counted
3.4K
3,419 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
33.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maile
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Maile is White at 33.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (28.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (22.3%). 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 Maile 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 Maile at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White33.0% · 1,128
- Two or more races28.8% · 986
- Asian and Pacific Islander22.3% · 764
- Hispanic or Latino13.7% · 469
- Black or African American1.8% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Popularity
Maile: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maile from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,202 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
Maile 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 Maile during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mailes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Hawaii, California, Washington recorded the most babies named Maile, while Florida, Nevada, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 223 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maile
The name Maile is of Hawaiian origin and its meaning is closely tied to the rich cultural heritage of the Hawaiian Islands. It is derived from the Hawaiian word "maile," which refers to a fragrant vine native to the islands. This vine, with its delicate green leaves and sweet-smelling flowers, has held significant importance in Hawaiian traditions for centuries.
In ancient Hawaiian culture, the maile vine was considered sacred and was used in various religious ceremonies and rituals. It was believed to possess spiritual powers and was often woven into leis, which were worn as symbols of honor, love, and respect. The name Maile, therefore, carries a deep connection to the natural beauty and spiritual essence of the Hawaiian Islands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maile can be found in the Hawaiian oral traditions and chants, where it was often used to describe the beauty and fragrance of the islands. These ancient stories and songs have been passed down through generations, preserving the cultural significance of the name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Maile. One such person was Maile Alohalani Sinclair (1892-1988), a Hawaiian educator and activist who dedicated her life to preserving and promoting the Hawaiian language and culture. She played a pivotal role in establishing Hawaiian language immersion programs and was recognized for her efforts with numerous awards and honors.
Another prominent figure was Maile Arvin (1923-2018), a renowned Hawaiian artist known for her vibrant paintings that captured the essence of island life. Her works have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, and she was celebrated for her contribution to the Hawaiian art scene.
In the realm of literature, Maile Meloy (born 1972) is a highly acclaimed American author and short story writer. Her works, including the novel "Liars and Saints" and the short story collection "Half in Love," have garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Paris Review's Terry Southern Prize.
Additionally, Maile Zamora (born 1977) is a notable Hawaiian singer and songwriter who has preserved and popularized traditional Hawaiian music. Her soulful voice and unique blend of contemporary and traditional styles have earned her a dedicated following and numerous accolades, including multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawaii's equivalent of the Grammy Awards).
The name Maile has also been carried by influential figures in various other fields, such as Maile Duerte (born 1970), a Hawaiian entrepreneur and advocate for sustainable business practices, and Maile Goo (born 1987), a professional surfer and environmental activist from Hawaii.
People
Maile + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maile 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
Maile: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maile?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,382 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maile 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 101,347 US residents.
Is Maile a common name?
We classify Maile as "Rare". It ranks above 95.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,647 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maile most popular?
The single biggest year for Maile was 2007, when 154 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maile is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Maile in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,419 people with the name Maile, or 1.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,127 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 Maile 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 Maile?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Maile leans strongly female. 3,334 people counted with this name were female (97.5%), compared with 84 male bearers (2.5%). 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 Maile?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Maile is White at 33.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (28.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (22.3%). 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 Maile most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Maile in the 2020 Census, accounting for 33.0% (1,128 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 Maile in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maile a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maile 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 Maile still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maile 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 Maile 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 people have the name Maile?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.