Makana
Makana is a mountain located on northern shore of the island of Kauaʻi, where it rises 1,115 feet (340 m) above Limahuli Valley. Makana is a Hawaiian language term meaning gift or reward. It is often used as a person's name or as part of a name. Limahuli Garden and Preserve preserves the valley below.
- Hawaiian
Meaning & Origin of Makana
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Makana is a mountain located on northern shore of the island of Kauaʻi, where it rises 1,115 feet (340 m) above Limahuli Valley. Makana is a Hawaiian language term meaning gift or reward. It is often used as a person's name or as part of a name. Limahuli Garden and Preserve preserves the valley below.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Hawaiian
The Story of Makana
As a girl name
Makana first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1994, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2003: 19 births, good for #6,055 nationwide. About 40% of every Makana on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Makana ranks #6,632 for girls with 17 births, rising sharply (+49% over the past five years). All told, over 369 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Makana on the record books as a boy name in 1986, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2016, when 29 Makanas were born — ranking #3,681 that year. About 33% of every Makana on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Makana ranks #5,124 for boys with 19 births, rising sharply (+62% over the past five years). All told, over 535 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Makana
Phonetically similar names — useful when Makana is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Makana
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About the name Makana
Makana is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1986 and has accumulated 535 births in the dataset. Makana's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #3,681. Use the chart and map above to compare Makana's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2016 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.