Girl · #2,388 in 2026

Mahogany

Name: Popularity of the name Mahogany in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Mahogany, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus Swietenia, indigenous to the Americas and part of the pantropical chinaberry family, Meliaceae. Mahogany is used commercially for a wide variety of goods, due to its coloring and durable nature.

Current Rank

#2,388

Peak Rank

#1,210 (2000)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-5%

1975

First Year

2026

Last Year

2000

Peak Year

#1210

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Mahogany

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology

The etymology of Mahogany is uncertain and a subject of debate. The term first appeared in John Ogilby 's America (1671), referring to a "curious and rich wood" from Jamaica . Initial mentions of the Mahogany tree (as opposed to wood) date to 1731, with its first detailed description in 1743, attributed to Swietenia mahagoni by Kemp Malone in 1940. Malone suggested that Mahogany originated as a generic term for 'wood' in a native Bahamian language. F. Bruce Lamb disagreed, pointing out that the Arawak language 's word for wood is caoba . Lamb identified a West African origin for the word in th

Origin & history

The name mahogany was initially associated only with those islands in the West Indies under British control (French colonists used the term acajou , while in the Spanish territories it was called caoba ). The origin of the name is uncertain, but it could be a corruption of 'm'oganwo', the name used by the Yoruba and Ibo people of West Africa to describe trees of the genus Khaya , which is closely related to Swietenia . When transported to Jamaica as slaves, they gave the same name to the similar trees they saw there. Though this interpretation has been disputed, no one has suggested a more pla

The Story of Mahogany

Mahogany first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1975, with 17 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2000, when 164 Mahoganys were born — ranking #1,210 that year. As of 2026, Mahogany ranks #2,388 for baby girls with 76 births, gradually falling (-5%). In total, more than 4K Mahoganys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Mahogany

Phonetically similar names — useful when Mahogany is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Monogony
Monogamy
Mahajan
Mohegan
Mohegans
Meshugganah
Monotony
Mulligan
Mohican
Mahoney
Mohicans
Mahony

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mahogany

What does the name Mahogany mean?

How popular is Mahogany in 2026?

In 2026, Mahogany ranks #2,388 among girls' names in the U.S., with 76 babies given the name that year.

When was Mahogany most popular?

Mahogany reached its peak popularity in 2000, ranking #1,210 that year with 164 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Mahogany most popular?

Mahogany has historically been most popular in Connecticut, South Carolina, North Carolina. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Mahogany.

Is Mahogany a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Mahogany is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Mahogany?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Mahogany include Maybel, Oressa, Natividad. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Mahogany

Mahogany is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1975 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. Mahogany's peak popularity came in 2000 when it ranked #1,210. Use the chart and map above to compare Mahogany's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.