Meilich
A masculine name of German origin meaning "noble prince".
Name Census estimates that about 27 living Americans carry the first name Meilich. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Meilich today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meilich births was 2022 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meilich. 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 Meilich. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
27
~ 1 in 12,694,605 Americans
Peak year
2022
9 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2022 SSA rank
#8,748
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Meilich: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meilich from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 15 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meilich 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 Meilich during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Meilichs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Meilich
The name Meilich is an ancient Germanic name with its roots tracing back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old High German words "mâri" meaning great, and "lîh" meaning body or form. Thus, Meilich was originally used to describe someone with an impressive or well-built physique.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Meilich can be found in the Codex Sangallensis, a 9th century Latin manuscript from the Abbey of Saint Gall in modern-day Switzerland. Here, a Meilich is mentioned as a warrior in the service of Charlemagne's army.
During the Middle Ages, the name gained popularity across various Germanic regions, particularly in what is now southern Germany and Austria. Notable historical figures bearing the name Meilich include Meilich von Regensburg, a 12th century Bavarian knight who fought in the Second Crusade (born c. 1120, died c. 1190).
Another notable Meilich was Meilich von Nürnberg, a 14th century German merchant and banker who helped establish trade routes between Nuremberg and Venice (born c. 1310, died c. 1375). The name also appears in the Nibelungenlied, a famous German epic poem from the 13th century, where a character named Meilich is mentioned as a brave warrior.
In the 16th century, Meilich Hausmann was a German Protestant theologian and one of the key figures in the Reformation (born c. 1512, died 1588). A century later, Meilich Grimmelshausen was a German author and writer best known for his picaresque novel "Der Abenteuerliche Simplicissimus" (born c. 1625, died c. 1676).
While the name Meilich has largely fallen out of popular use in modern times, it remains an important part of Germanic linguistic and cultural heritage, reflecting the value placed on physical strength and prowess in ancient and medieval times.
People
Meilich + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meilich 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
Meilich: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meilich?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 27 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meilich 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 12,694,605 US residents.
Is Meilich a common name?
We classify Meilich as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meilich most popular?
The single biggest year for Meilich was 2022, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meilich is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Meilich in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Meilich a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meilich in the SSA data are male. 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 Meilich still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Meilich 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 Meilich 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Meilich?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Meilich on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.