Given name
McKayla
“a fiery woman”
McKayla is used as a given name. One interpretation is “a fiery woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “a fiery woman.”
Where it comes from
McKayla is a form of Michaela. Michaela comes from Portuguese, and ultimately from Spanish.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1979. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
McKayla through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 13,230
- 5 boys · 13,225 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 769 babies
- 2025
- 50
- #3,197 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −52%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 50 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,197 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 52.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 769 in 1998. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,433 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
McKayla’s family of names
In English usage, McKayla has a related form in Makayla. In English usage, McKayla has a related form in Michaela. In English usage, McKayla has a related form in MYKAYLA.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Makaylavariant · English
- Michaelavariant · English
- McKayvariant
- MacKaylavariant · English
- Mykaylavariant · English
- McKayleevariant
- McKaelavariant
- McKayevariant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named McKayla
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love McKayla, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kayley
Kayley is a feminine given name.
>99% girls
McKenna
“the son of Kenna; to ascend”
>99% girls
Maclaine
“the son of John's servant”
>99% girls
Cailin
“a young woman; a lass”
>99% girls
Mckell
“son of the lad”
3% boys · 97% girls
Mhairi
Mhairi is a feminine given name from Scottish Gaelic.
>99% girls
Mackenna
“daughter of the handsome man”
>99% girls
Kiana
“from an ancient family” · “of an ancient family”
>99% girls