Messiah
Messiah was the 207th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,666 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 172nd with 2,231 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 36 places. More babies were named Messiah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning anointed one · Hebrew, Aramaic
Say it muh-SY-uh /məˈsaɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #207 boys, down 17 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,666boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20212,231 babies
- Total since 1880
- 28,100babies recorded
What does the name Messiah mean?
Messiah comes from Hebrew mashiach, 'anointed one', through Aramaic, Greek and Latin; Wikipedia explains that in Jewish and Christian tradition the messiah is a savior or deliverer, and the Greek translation of the word is Christos, Christ. As an American given name it is a recent choice, mainly for boys. Wiktionary records the English word but not its history as a name.
מָשִׁיחַ (Biblical Hebrew, “mashiach, anointed one”)מְשִׁיחָא (Aramaic, “meshicha”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Christian.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Messiah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Messiah', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Messiah popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,036 since 1994, 9 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #207 | 1,666 |
| 2020 | #190 | 2,036 |
| 2010 | #649 | 371 |
| 2000 | #1,232 | 109 |
| 1990 | #7,771 | 6 |
| 1980 | #4,034 | 10 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Messiah, counting every spelling?
Messiah is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #227 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #207 for Messiah on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,722 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Messiah | 1,666 | #207 | 9,581 |
| Mesiah | 24 | #4,341 | 139 |
| Meziah | 15 | #6,048 | 76 |
| Mezziah | 12 | #7,056 | 55 |
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 Messiah?
1,666 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Messiah (0.46 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Messiah 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 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Messiah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Messiah?
About 26,800 people born in the US named Messiah are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 11. That makes Messiah a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Messiah by state
How common Messiah was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (4.0×), Mississippi (3.2×), Georgia (2.7×), South Carolina (2.5×), Louisiana (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in South Dakota, West Virginia, Oregon.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Messiah: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Messiah, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Messiah · Sibling names for Messiah
Questions about the name Messiah
What does Messiah mean?
Messiah means “anointed one” (Hebrew, Aramaic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Messiah?
Messiah was the 207th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,666 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 172nd with 2,231 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 36 places. More babies were named Messiah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Messiah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Messiah in the US.
Where is Messiah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Messiah was most common in District of Columbia (4.47 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and Georgia.