Makaela
Makaela was the 8162nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 1257th with 145 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 4,999 places. More babies were named Makaela in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Makayla) variant of Michaela · Hebrew, American English
- Rank in 2025
- #8,162 girls, down 2,569 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 13girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1998145 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,764babies recorded
What does the name Makaela mean?
Makaela is a spelling of Makayla, pronounced the same way, so it shares Makayla's meaning and origin.
Makayla is a modern American spelling of Michaela, according to Wiktionary, shaped by the sound of names such as Kayla. Michaela is the Latinate feminine of Michael, which DMNES derives from Hebrew Mikha'el, "who is like God?". Makayla appears in US records from the 1970s and was most popular in the 1990s and 2000s.
מִיכָאֵל (Biblical Hebrew, “who is like God?”)
How sure is this? Probable. A respelling of Michaela; its meaning is Michael's.
Related names: Michaela, Mikayla, Kayla, Michael.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Makayla', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Michaela', DMNES, Durham University
- Wiktionary, entry 'Michaela', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
Makaela popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,162 | 13 |
| 2020 | #5,593 | 22 |
| 2010 | #1,644 | 130 |
| 2000 | #1,360 | 138 |
| 1990 | #5,438 | 17 |
| 1980 | #9,813 | 6 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Makaela, counting every spelling?
Makaela is a spelling of Makayla, a name family that ranked #526 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #8,162 for Makaela on its own. Together these spellings went to 578 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Makayla | 530 | #568 | 3,452 |
| Makaylah | 14 | #7,735 | 110 |
| Makaila | 12 | #8,666 | 93 |
| Makaela | 13 | #8,162 | 81 |
| Mackayla | 9 | #10,580 | 55 |
| Macayla | — | — | 26 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Makaela?
13 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Makaela (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Makaela born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 646 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Makaela.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Makaela?
About 2,700 people born in the US named Makaela are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 16 and 28. That makes Makaela mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Makaela by state
How common Makaela was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Makaela: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Makaela, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Makaela
What does Makaela mean?
Makaela is a spelling of Makayla, which means “variant of Michaela” (Hebrew, American English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Makaela?
Makaela was the 8162nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 1257th with 145 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 4,999 places. More babies were named Makaela in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Makaela a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Makaela in the US.
Where is Makaela most popular?
In 2021–2025, Makaela was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 girls).