Fun Facts About the Name Makayla
- More than 108 thousand babies named Makayla: U.S. records list 108,157 babies given the name Makayla from 1880 through 2025. Even 153 boys received the name Makayla - about 1 boy for every 706 girls.
What Does the Name Makayla Mean?
Makayla is an English spelling of Michaela, the feminine form of Michael, a name from Biblical Hebrew. The Hebrew מִיכָאֵל (Mikha'el) joins מִי (mi, "who"), כְּ (ke, "like" or "as"), and אֵל (El, "God") into the question "Who is like God?" The established meaning is usually given as Who is like God?
The Hebrew name is a rhetorical question, traditionally read as a statement of God's incomparability rather than a request for information, with the implied answer "no one." The sense is a devotional formula, not a description of the person who bears the name.
Michaela reached European languages through the Greek Μιχαήλ (Michaēl) and the Latin Michael of the Bible. Feminine forms were then built separately in different vernaculars, such as German Michaela, Italian Michela, and Spanish Micaela. The English spellings Mikayla, McKayla, and Makayla render the pronunciation of Michaela (muh-KAY-luh) more directly. The similar-looking biblical name Michal, a daughter of King Saul, is a distinct Hebrew name and is not the source of Michaela or Makayla.
Makayla Name History & Origins
The root of the name is the archangel Michael, who appears in the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible and is also known in Christian and Islamic tradition as a heavenly protector. The masculine name Michael passed through Greek and Latin into the languages of Europe, where it became one of the most common names in Christian communities.
The feminine Michaela is a later formation, made by adding a feminine ending to Michael within European languages rather than by an independent path from Hebrew. German Michaela, Italian Michela, and Spanish Micaela are examples of this process, and English use of Michaela follows the same pattern of borrowing from those European forms.
Makayla belongs to a group of English respellings, along with Mikayla, McKayla, and Makaila, that spell the name the way it is pronounced. These variants keep the Hebrew-derived meaning and the link to Michael while using English spelling conventions, such as ay for the vowel of the stressed second syllable. The different spelling does not indicate a different origin.
How Popular is the Name Makayla?
Makayla recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2008. Makayla entered the top 100 U.S. girl names in 1998.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #568 | 530 | 0.0330% |
| 2024 | #542 | 556 | 0.0345% |
| 2023 | #453 | 682 | 0.0426% |
| 2022 | #392 | 796 | 0.0486% |
| 2021 | #355 | 878 | 0.0535% |
| 2020 | #325 | 954 | 0.0591% |
| 2019 | #261 | 1,264 | 0.0753% |
| 2018 | #232 | 1,376 | 0.0809% |
| 2017 | #205 | 1,504 | 0.0871% |
| 2016 | #165 | 1,943 | 0.1097% |
| 2015 | #143 | 2,260 | 0.1266% |
| 2014 | #123 | 2,590 | 0.1450% |
| 2013 | #94 | 3,295 | 0.1878% |
| 2012 | #70 | 3,774 | 0.2143% |
| 2011 | #56 | 4,460 | 0.2536% |
| 2010 | #43 | 5,397 | 0.3037% |
| 2009 | #44 | 5,267 | 0.2867% |
| 2008 | #37 | 5,956 | 0.3150% |
| 2007 | #47 | 5,428 | 0.2823% |
| 2006 | #45 | 5,651 | 0.2973% |
| 2005 | #44 | 5,727 | 0.3100% |
| 2004 | #47 | 5,666 | 0.3086% |
| 2003 | #51 | 5,580 | 0.3054% |
| 2002 | #50 | 5,476 | 0.3048% |
| 2001 | #54 | 5,318 | 0.2954% |
| 2000 | #67 | 4,917 | 0.2708% |
| 1999 | #66 | 4,791 | 0.2701% |
| 1998 | #71 | 4,365 | 0.2470% |
| 1997 | #102 | 3,345 | 0.1922% |
| 1996 | #129 | 2,462 | 0.1404% |
| 1995 | #164 | 1,912 | 0.1087% |
| 1994 | #199 | 1,503 | 0.0842% |
| 1993 | #340 | 762 | 0.0421% |
| 1992 | #564 | 415 | 0.0225% |
| 1991 | #751 | 276 | 0.0147% |
| 1990 | #797 | 252 | 0.0133% |
| 1989 | #890 | 207 | 0.0112% |
| 1988 | #1,483 | 92 | 0.0052% |
| 1987 | #1,760 | 68 | 0.0039% |
| 1986 | #2,217 | 47 | 0.0027% |
| 1985 | #2,302 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 1984 | #2,279 | 43 | 0.0026% |
| 1983 | #2,828 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 1982 | #4,461 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1981 | #3,302 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 1980 | #4,240 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1979 | #5,285 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1978 | #4,827 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1977 | #5,726 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #6,372 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #7,636 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #6,602 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #8,011 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #6,971 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #6,363 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | #9,298 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #7,938 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #10,585 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #12,015 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #11,818 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #10,239 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #5,766 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #3,418 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 2003 | #7,051 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #9,034 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #5,052 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #7,193 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #8,389 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #5,347 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #7,803 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Makayla Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Makayla's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Makayla's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.