boys' name ★ peaked 2006

Malachi

Meaning achi, malʼāḵî, literally “my messenger Gender Boy Rank 2025 #134 Trend → Stable

From Latin Mālāchiās, from Ancient Greek Μαλαχίας (Malakhías), from Hebrew מַלְאָכִי (mal'achi, malʼāḵî, literally “my messenger”), singular form of מַלְאָךְ (mal'akh…

Rank 2025
#134
among boys · ↑15 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
2,701
named Malachi · +11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 635
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2006
2,790 babies
All-time total
66,048
#424 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Malachi popularity over time

66,048 babies have been named Malachi since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 58 58 6 – #624
1890s – 30 30 3 -48% #791
1900s – 51 51 5 +70% #899
1910s – 156 156 16 +206% #970
1920s – 185 185 19 +19% #1,488
1930s – 172 172 17 -7% #1,444
1940s – 183 183 18 +6% #1,388
1950s – 155 155 16 -15% #1,686
1960s – 108 108 11 -30% #2,044
1970s – 390 390 39 +261% #1,148
1980s – 746 746 75 +91% #958
1990s 45 3,525 3,570 357 +379% #369
2000s 112 20,780 20,892 2,089 +485% #150
2010s 97 24,588 24,685 2,469 +18% #153
2020s (to 2025) 36 14,631 14,667 2,445 -1% #134

Where Malachi is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 2,724 1.59 #132
2027 2,752 1.61 #131
2028 2,775 1.62 #130
2029 2,795 1.64 #130
2030 2,813 1.65 #129

Where Malachi is most popular

Boys named Malachi per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.42 per 1,000. Strongest in Alaska, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Malachi born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alaska 44 3.69 +161%
Mississippi 186 3.27 +131%
Alabama 313 2.86 +102%
Georgia 662 2.61 +85%
Montana 45 2.55 +80%
Arkansas 160 2.53 +79%
Louisiana 252 2.46 +74%
Delaware 36 2.37 +68%
Oklahoma 203 2.30 +62%
North Carolina 574 2.25 +59%
Indiana 359 2.24 +58%
Tennessee 402 2.23 +57%
South Carolina 228 2.21 +56%
West Virginia 72 2.21 +56%
South Dakota 41 2.20 +56%
New Mexico 71 2.15 +52%
Hawaii 32 2.06 +46%
Missouri 284 2.05 +45%
North Dakota 34 1.99 +41%
Virginia 376 1.98 +40%
Kentucky 196 1.95 +38%
Florida 916 1.93 +37%
Michigan 380 1.86 +31%
Maryland 217 1.82 +29%
Ohio 476 1.80 +27%
Wisconsin 212 1.79 +26%
Oregon 135 1.78 +26%
Nevada 101 1.77 +25%
Idaho 71 1.73 +23%
Iowa 119 1.73 +22%
District of Columbia 25 1.69 +20%
Colorado 213 1.65 +17%
Minnesota 196 1.60 +13%
Kansas 109 1.59 +12%
Texas 1,293 1.47 ≈ national
Arizona 237 1.45 ≈ national
Washington 235 1.44 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 379 1.43 ≈ national
Nebraska 62 1.43 ≈ national
Illinois 359 1.40 ≈ national
Connecticut 94 1.39 ≈ national
California 994 1.09 -23%
Maine 19 0.979 -31%
New York 391 0.903 -36%
New Jersey 164 0.815 -42%
New Hampshire 18 0.811 -43%
Massachusetts 106 0.771 -46%
Rhode Island 12 0.736 -48%
Utah 70 0.733 -48%
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Malachi

Malachi is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #134 in 2025 with 2,692 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 66,048 American babies have been named Malachi. Its peak came in 2006, when 2,790 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Malachi stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Malachi?

The median living Malachi is about 13 years old; half are between 6 and 19. An estimated 65 thousand people named Malachi are alive in the United States today.

median 13 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Malachi year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 9 #10,594 2,692 #134
2024 6 #14,603 2,424 #149
2023 8 #11,804 2,482 #146
2022 – – 2,307 #161
2021 8 #11,786 2,324 #167
2020 5 #16,630 2,402 #156
2019 10 #10,199 2,454 #160
2018 9 #11,111 2,514 #154
2017 7 #13,582 2,549 #153
2016 9 #11,447 2,634 #154
2015 16 #7,483 2,602 #160
2014 10 #10,644 2,400 #178
2013 10 #10,739 2,337 #174
2012 9 #11,882 2,329 #167
2011 9 #11,794 2,353 #163
2010 8 #13,025 2,416 #161
2009 11 #10,402 2,352 #166
2008 5 #19,390 2,459 #160
2007 10 #11,332 2,710 #155
2006 14 #8,541 2,776 #150
2005 18 #6,718 2,553 #162
2004 15 #7,680 2,246 #179
2003 6 #15,039 1,919 #194
2002 13 #8,128 1,673 #210
2001 10 #9,824 1,325 #253
2000 10 #9,614 767 #351
1995 8 #10,150 359 #531
1990 – – 119 #955
1985 – – 75 #1,074
1980 – – 62 #1,161
1975 – – 53 #1,163
1970 – – 24 #1,830
1965 – – 8 #3,147
1960 – – 11 #2,631
1955 – – 13 #2,276
1950 – – 20 #1,686
1945 – – 12 #2,085
1940 – – 24 #1,388
1935 – – 21 #1,523
1930 – – 18 #1,791
1925 – – 22 #1,658
1920 – – 21 #1,730
1915 – – 19 #1,640
1910 – – 12 #970
1905 – – 5 #1,353
1900 – – 5 #1,427
1895 – – – –
1890 – – 8 #791
1885 – – 7 #813
1880 – – 10 #624

Famous people named Malachi

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Malachi Malachi Traditional writer of the Book of Malachi b. -450 · Antiquity
  2. 2 Malachi Throne Malachi Throne American actor (1928–2013) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Malachi, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Malachi?

The median living Malachi is about 13 years old. Half of all living Malachis are between 6 and 19 years old.

How many people named Malachi are alive today?

An estimated 65 thousand people named Malachi are alive in the United States, based on 66,048 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Malachi mean?

From Latin Mālāchiās, from Ancient Greek Μαλαχίας (Malakhías), from Hebrew מַלְאָכִי (mal'achi, malʼāḵî, literally “my messenger”), singular form of מַלְאָךְ (mal'akh, “angel; messenger; ambassadors”) with first-person singular…

How popular is the name Malachi in 2025?

Malachi ranked #134 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 2,692 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Malachi?

66,048 babies have been named Malachi in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Malachi most popular?

Malachi peaked in 2006, when 2,790 newborns received the name.

Is Malachi a boy or girl name?

Malachi is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Malachi rising or falling?

Malachi is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Malachi become more popular?

Malachi looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 2,813 boys named Malachi in 2030, ranking around #129. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Malachi?

Well-known people named Malachi include Malachi (religious figure), Malachi Throne (actor).

Names like Malachi

Names that sound and feel close to Malachi: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Malachi with similar names → More names starting with M →