Boys' name · peaked in 2021
Messiah name popularity since 1925
28,100 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Messiah (3.7% girls, 96.3% boys). Half of them were born in 2018 or earlier, so the typical Messiah is about 8 years old in 2026. Messiah peaked in 2021 as the #172 name for boys, and it ranked #207 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 28,100
- Named Messiah, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #207
- for boys in 2025 (1,666 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 96.3% boys
- 1,036 girls · 27,064 boys
- Most popular in
- Nevada
- 3.21× its national share
Peak year is the year Messiah made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Messiah births per year, 1925–2025
2021 was the biggest year for Messiah both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 2011 and 2016, Messiah became 4.9× more common, from 1 in 5,150 baby boys to 1 in 1,060.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Messiah's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Messiah.
Decade by decade
Babies named Messiah in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1970s | 0 | 41 | #5,229 |
| 1980s | 0 | 52 | #4,561 |
| 1990s | 52 | 297 | #2,537 |
| 2000s | 449 | 2,049 | #905 |
| 2010s | 418 | 13,008 | #243 |
| 2020–25 | 117 | 11,617 | #207 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000. "Under 5" means fewer than 5 boys got the name.
Generation fingerprint
83.6% of babies named Messiah from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Messiah is most popular
The index compares Messiah's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Messiah.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 3.21× | 305 |
| Georgia | 3.03× | 2,228 |
| South Carolina | 2.35× | 877 |
| Florida | 2.31× | 2,218 |
| North Carolina | 1.93× | 1,460 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Messiah's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Messiah.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Messiah (2021).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data