Boy · #205 in 2026

Messiah

In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of mashiach, messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a mashiach is the heavenly sovereign, king of prophets, or High Priest traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil.

  • Theology
  • English
Current Rank
#205
Peak Rank
#172 (2021)
Total Babies
29K
5-Yr Trend
-11%
1994
First Year
2026
Last Year
2006
Peak Year
#2484
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
32
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Messiah

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

In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of mashiach, messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a mashiach is the heavenly sovereign, king of prophets, or High Priest traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil.

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Theology
  • English
Etymology
'Messiah' is the transliteration of Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ , mashiaḥ , "anointed", from the verb מָשַׁח , mashaḥ , "to rub with oil, to anoint"; in the Septuagint the Hebrew word is calqued into χριστός , christos , "anointed", from the verb χρίω , chrio , "to rub with oil, to anoint", which is the source of the English title "Christ". In Hebrew, the Messiah is often referred to as מלך המשיח , melekh mashiach ( Tiberian : Meleḵ ha-Mašīaḥ , .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navb

The Story of Messiah

Messiah first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1973, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 2,231 Messiahs were born — ranking #172 that year. As of 2026, Messiah ranks #205 for baby boys with 1,707 births, gradually falling (-11%). In total, more than 29K Messiahs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Messiah

Phonetically similar names — useful when Messiah 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 Messiah

What does the name Messiah mean?
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of mashiach, messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a mashiach is the heavenly sovereign, king of prophets, or High Priest traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil.
What is the origin of the name Messiah?
Messiah has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Theology, English.
How popular is Messiah in 2026?
In 2026, Messiah ranks #205 among boys' names in the U.S., with 1,707 babies given the name that year.
When was Messiah most popular?
Messiah reached its peak popularity in 2021, ranking #172 that year with 2,231 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Messiah most popular?
Messiah has historically been most popular in Mississippi, District of Columbia, South Carolina. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Messiah.
Is Messiah a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Messiah is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Messiah?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Messiah include Benny, Jakob, Anton. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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About the name Messiah

Messiah is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1973 and has accumulated 29K births in the dataset. Messiah's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #172. Use the chart and map above to compare Messiah'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.