Mikayla
Feminine name derived from Hebrew Michal, meaning "who is like God?"
Name Census estimates that about 55,302 living Americans carry the first name Mikayla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mikayla today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mikayla births was 1998 (3,858 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mikayla. 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 Mikayla with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
55K
~ 1 in 6,198 Americans
Peak year
1998
3,858 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2004 SSA rank
#777
Tracked since 1970
Census
Mikayla in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 48,658 people with the first name Mikayla, which placed it at #922 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
#922
National first-name rank
People counted
49K
48,658 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
16.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
59.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mikayla
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mikayla is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Hispanic (13.7%). 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 Mikayla 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 Mikayla at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.6% · 28,996
- Black or African American14.4% · 6,989
- Hispanic or Latino13.7% · 6,643
- Two or more races8.4% · 4,110
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 1,470
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 450
Gender
Gender distribution for Mikayla
Out of the 56,350 babies given the name Mikayla since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Mikayla as a male name
- Ranked #6,831 in 2004
- 11 male births in 2004
- Peak: 2004 (11 births)
Mikayla as a female name
- Ranked #777 in 2024
- 362 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1998 (3,858 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mikayla appears almost entirely female. Of the 48,659 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Mikayla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mikayla from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 23,742 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
Mikayla 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 Mikayla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mikaylas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Mikayla, while Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,081 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mikayla
The name Mikayla is a modern feminine variation of the Hebrew name Michael, which means "who is like God?" or "gift from God." The origin of the name can be traced back to ancient Hebrew, where it was derived from the words "mi" meaning "who" and "el" meaning "God."
This name has its roots in the Old Testament, where Michael is mentioned as an archangel and leader of the heavenly host. The name gained popularity in the Christian tradition, as Michael was revered as the protector of the Church and the defender against evil forces.
The earliest recorded use of the name Mikayla can be found in the late 20th century, primarily in English-speaking countries. It emerged as a feminine variant of the traditional masculine name Michael, with the addition of the "-yla" suffix, which has roots in Old English and Germanic languages.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Michael, though the feminine form Mikayla is relatively new. One of the most famous Michaels is the archangel Michael himself, who is revered in various religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
In the 5th century, Saint Michael the Archangel is said to have appeared on Mount Gargano in Italy, leading to the construction of the Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the archangel. Michael the Brave, who ruled as Prince of Wallachia (now part of Romania) in the late 16th century, is another notable historical figure with this name.
During the Renaissance, the Italian artist Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was renowned for his masterpieces, including the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and the sculpture of David. In the realm of literature, the English poet Michael Drayton (1563-1631) was a prominent figure of the Elizabethan era.
More recently, the American musician Michael Jackson (1958-2009) achieved global fame and is considered one of the most influential entertainers of all time. Michael Jordan (born 1963), the legendary basketball player, is also widely recognized for his contributions to the sport.
While the feminine form Mikayla is relatively new, it has gained popularity in recent decades, particularly in English-speaking countries. Its connection to the ancient Hebrew name Michael and its meaning "who is like God?" or "gift from God" have contributed to its widespread use.
People
Mikayla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mikayla 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
Mikayla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mikayla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 55,302 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mikayla 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 6,198 US residents.
Is Mikayla a common name?
We classify Mikayla as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 56,350 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mikayla most popular?
The single biggest year for Mikayla was 1998, when 3,858 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mikayla is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mikayla in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 48,658 people with the name Mikayla, or 16.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #922 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 Mikayla 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 Mikayla?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mikayla appears almost entirely female. Of the 48,659 people counted with this name, 99.8% 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 Mikayla?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mikayla is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Hispanic (13.7%). 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 Mikayla most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mikayla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (28,996 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 Mikayla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mikayla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mikayla 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 Mikayla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mikayla 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 Mikayla 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 called Mikayla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.