Given name & surname
Malachi
“a messenger of God”
Malachi is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “a messenger of God.”
Original Hebrewמלאכי
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “a messenger of God.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
In English usage, Malachi developed from Μαλαχίας.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Malachi appears in Malachi 1:1, Malachi 3:1, Exodus 14:19 and 2 other passages.
- Malachi 1:1
- Malachi 3:1
- Exodus 14:19
- Exodus 23:23
- Isaiah 42:19
From biblical name research
Malachi through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 66,048
- 65,758 boys · 290 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 2,790 babies
- 2025
- 2,701
- #134 for boys · #10,594 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,692 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 134 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 2.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,776 in 2006. It also appeared in 9 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (303). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 41,144 as a first name in 2020; 756 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Malachi’s family of names
In English usage, Malachi developed from the Ancient Greek form Μαλαχίας. Malachi has a related form in Malak. Malachi has a related form in Malakai.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Malachi has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
8 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Malachi
- Malachi ThroneAmerican actor (1928-2013)
- Malachi FlynnAmerican basketball player (born 1998)
- Malachi BartonAmerican actor and singerborn 2007
- Malachi KirbyBritish actorborn 1989
- Malachi RichardsonAmerican basketball player (born 1996)
- Malachi SmithAmerican basketball playerborn 1999
- Malachi MartinIrish Catholic priest and writer on the Catholic Church (1921–1999)
- Malachi FavorsAmerican bassist (1927-2004)
- Malachi Fagan-WalcottEnglish footballer (born 2002)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Malachi, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Misael
“who is what God is?”
>99% boys
Isaiah
“God is salvation” · “God is my salvation”
>99% boys
Emmanuel
“God is with us”
>99% boys
Nathaniel
“God has given” · “a gift from God”
>99% boys
Jonah
“dove”
99% boys · 1% girls
Kaleb
“resembling an aggressive dog”
>99% boys
Eli
“one who has ascended; my God on high”
99% boys · 1% girls
Isaac
“full of laughter”
>99% boys