Makalyn
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly a blend of Michaela and Lynn.
Name Census estimates that about 365 living Americans carry the first name Makalyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Makalyn today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makalyn births was 2008 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makalyn. 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
365
~ 1 in 939,053 Americans
Peak year
2008
25 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2017 SSA rank
#17,467
Tracked since 1994
Census
Makalyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 339 people with the first name Makalyn, which placed it at #27,134 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
#27,134
National first-name rank
People counted
339
339 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
53.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Makalyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Makalyn is White at 53.4%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (8.3%). 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 Makalyn 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 Makalyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.4% · 181
- Black or African American31.3% · 106
- Two or more races8.3% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 4
Popularity
Makalyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Makalyn from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 209 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Makalyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Makalyn 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 Makalyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Makalyns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Makalyn
The name Makalyn has its roots in the ancient Gaelic language, originating from the regions that are now known as Scotland and Ireland. It is believed to have emerged during the 5th or 6th century AD, a time when the Gaelic culture was thriving and spreading across these lands.
One of the earliest known references to the name Makalyn can be found in the ancient Irish epic, the Táin Bó Cúailnge, which dates back to the 8th century AD. In this epic, there is a character named Makalyn, a skilled warrior and huntsman, who played a pivotal role in the tale's events.
The name Makalyn is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "ailín" meaning "little rock" or "pebble." Thus, the name Makalyn can be interpreted as "son of the little rock" or "son of the pebble." This could suggest a connection to the rugged landscapes of Scotland and Ireland, where rocky terrain was abundant.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Makalyn. One of the earliest recorded examples is Makalyn of Argyll (1210-1285), a Scottish nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England.
Another prominent figure was Makalyn the Bard (1450-1520), an Irish poet and storyteller renowned for his exceptional skill in preserving and sharing the oral traditions of the Gaelic culture. His works were widely celebrated and have been passed down through generations.
In the 16th century, Makalyn O'Neill (1530-1595) was a chieftain of the O'Neill clan in Ireland. He was known for his bravery and leadership during the Nine Years' War against English forces, earning him a place in the annals of Irish history.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Makalyn Mackenzie (1710-1785) was a Scottish physician and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in the Scottish Highlands. His detailed observations and records were valuable resources for future generations of scientists.
Lastly, in the 19th century, Makalyn O'Donnell (1820-1895) was an Irish poet and activist who used his literary works to advocate for Irish independence and cultural preservation. His passionate writings inspired many during the Irish Nationalist movement of the time.
People
Makalyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makalyn 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
Makalyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makalyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 365 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makalyn 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 939,053 US residents.
Is Makalyn a common name?
We classify Makalyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 371 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Makalyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Makalyn was 2008, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makalyn is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Makalyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 339 people with the name Makalyn, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,134 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 Makalyn 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 Makalyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Makalyn leans strongly female. 328 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 7 male bearers (2.1%). 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 Makalyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Makalyn is White at 53.4%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (8.3%). 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 Makalyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Makalyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.4% (181 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 Makalyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Makalyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Makalyn 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 Makalyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Makalyn 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 Makalyn 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 are named Makalyn?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Makalyn at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.