Makeba
Feminine
Makeba is a surname used as a first name, and the surname belongs to one person: a South African singer whose career made the name known worldwide, and whose citizenship was canceled because of what she said in public.
How old is the name Makeba?
Makeba first appears in US birth records in 1962 — 63 years ago. The typical Makeba alive today was born around 1975, making them about 50 years old. About 700 people named Makeba are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Makeba most popular?
Makeba peaked in 1972, reaching #1502 nationally. See the whole 1972 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Makeba
Miriam Makeba left South Africa to perform abroad and appeared in a documentary about the country that the government objected to. When she tried to go home for her mother's funeral, her passport had been canceled. She then testified before a United Nations committee about apartheid, twice, and in response her records were banned and her citizenship revoked. She was stateless for a period and ended up holding passports from a long list of countries that offered them. Her career continued at the top level in America until she married a man the political establishment there disliked, at which point bookings and contracts evaporated and she moved to Guinea. She was out of South Africa for thirty-one years and went back only after Mandela was released and personally asked her to. She died after a concert in Italy, having performed that night for an anti-mafia campaign.
Meaningnot established
Not established
It is a family name rather than a word, so it has no meaning to report in the way a given name does. The family name is Xhosa in origin; personal names in that language are usually transparent statements, but surnames are not, and nothing documents this one.
Pronouncing Makeba
mah-KAY-bah
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. English speakers often reduce the first and last vowels; the original keeps them full and even.
Nicknames for Makeba
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1962
- Most girls named
- 197263 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1502reached in 1972
- Change vs 2002
- 0.0%5 in 2003, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Makebas among us
people named Makeba are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Makeba sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Every syllable is open, which makes it easy to say in almost any language.
- Middle stress on three syllables is the most comfortable rhythm English has.
- The person it points to is documented in detail, which is rare for a name this rare.
- It is somebody's surname, and people who know that will hear it as one.
- Makeda and Makayla will both be written for it.
- It has no meaning as a word, so the origin question is answered with a life rather than a definition.
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Makeba
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Makebas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Makeba are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Makeba in 2025?
- Makeba is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Makeba with classmates?
- Makeba will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Mary#125 · Margaret#112 · Michelle#465 · Melissa#419 · Maria#87 · Martha#712 · Marie#617 · Mildred#1962
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Makeba? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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