Makaya
Of Native American origin, meaning "flower" or "precious flower".
Name Census estimates that about 997 living Americans carry the first name Makaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Makaya today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makaya births was 2007 (71 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makaya. 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
997
~ 1 in 343,786 Americans
Peak year
2007
71 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,297
Tracked since 1990
Census
Makaya in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 998 people with the first name Makaya, which placed it at #12,453 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
#12,453
National first-name rank
People counted
998
998 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
41.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Makaya
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Makaya is Black at 41.1%. The next largest groups are White (36.0%) and Two or More Races (9.5%). 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 Makaya 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 Makaya at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American41.1% · 410
- White36.0% · 359
- Two or more races9.5% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 12
Popularity
Makaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Makaya 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 567 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
Makaya 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 Makaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Makayas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Texas, Illinois, Georgia recorded the most babies named Makaya, while Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Makaya
The name Makaya originates from the Hawaiian language and culture, with its roots tracing back to the ancient Polynesian settlers of the Hawaiian Islands. The name is believed to derive from the Hawaiian words "maka," meaning "eye," and "ya," which can signify various concepts such as "sacred" or "divine." Together, the name Makaya could be interpreted as "sacred eye" or "divine gaze."
Historically, Hawaiian names were often inspired by nature, physical traits, or spiritual beliefs. In the case of Makaya, the reference to the "eye" may have been associated with the concept of wisdom, perception, or a deep connection with the natural world. The Hawaiian people revered the beauty and power of the islands and their surroundings, which could have influenced the choice of names with such symbolic meanings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Makaya can be found in the 18th century, when it was borne by a Hawaiian chieftain's daughter. Makaya (c. 1765-1830) was a prominent figure in her community and played a significant role in preserving Hawaiian traditions and culture during a time of great change and upheaval.
Another notable individual with the name Makaya was Makaya Kai (1875-1946), a renowned Hawaiian navigator and wayfinder. He was instrumental in reviving the ancient art of traditional Polynesian voyaging and helped pass down this knowledge to future generations, ensuring the survival of this important cultural practice.
In the realm of literature, the name Makaya appears in the works of Hawaiian author and scholar David Malo, who documented various aspects of Hawaiian history, customs, and beliefs in the 19th century. One of his characters, Makaya, was a central figure in a traditional Hawaiian legend, highlighting the enduring cultural significance of the name.
Makaya Kaina (1905-1992) was a respected Hawaiian musician and composer, known for her contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Hawaiian music. Her compositions and performances played a crucial role in keeping the rich musical heritage of Hawaii alive and accessible to future generations.
Another notable individual was Makaya Keanu (1920-2005), a Hawaiian artist and cultural practitioner. His artwork and teachings celebrated the beauty of the islands and their diverse ecosystems, reflecting the deep connection between the name Makaya and the natural world that inspired its origin.
These examples illustrate the enduring presence of the name Makaya throughout Hawaiian history and its association with individuals who have made significant contributions to the preservation and continuation of Hawaiian culture, traditions, and knowledge.
People
Makaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makaya 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
Makaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 997 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makaya 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 343,786 US residents.
Is Makaya a common name?
We classify Makaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,012 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Makaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Makaya was 2007, when 71 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makaya is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Makaya in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 998 people with the name Makaya, or 0.33 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,453 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 Makaya 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 Makaya?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Makaya leans strongly female. 957 people counted with this name were female (96.2%), compared with 38 male bearers (3.8%). 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 Makaya?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Makaya is Black at 41.1%. The next largest groups are White (36.0%) and Two or More Races (9.5%). 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 Makaya most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Makaya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.1% (410 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 Makaya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Makaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Makaya 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 Makaya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Makaya 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 Makaya 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 Makaya?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.