| Micah | Malachi | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | who is like Yahweh? | My messenger |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MY-kah | MAL-uh-ky |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1946 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2022 (3,969) | 2006 (2,776) |
| In 2025 | 3,817 | 2,692 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Micah | Malachi |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 22,651 | 14,631 |
| 2010s | 36,739 | 24,588 |
| 2000s | 27,018 | 20,780 |
| 1990s | 13,754 | 3,525 |
| 1980s | 11,031 | 746 |
| 1970s | 6,979 | 390 |
| 1960s | 1,134 | 108 |
| 1950s | 238 | 155 |
| 1940s | 27 | 183 |
| 1930s | 0 | 172 |
| 1920s | 0 | 185 |
| 1910s | 0 | 156 |
| 1900s | 0 | 51 |
| 1890s | 0 | 30 |
| 1880s | 0 | 58 |
A shortened form of Micaiah (Mikayahu), built as a rhetorical question: mi 'who' + ka 'like' + Yah (short for Yahweh), 'Who is like Yah(weh)?' It is not a literal statement but a theophoric name affirming God's incomparability. Distinct from Michael, which uses El rather than Yah.
From the Hebrew Malʾakhi, “my messenger.” Malachi is the last of the Hebrew prophets.
Micah is more popular than Malachi today: about 3,817 US babies were given the name Micah in 2025, compared with 2,692 named Malachi.
Micah means who is like Yahweh? (hebrew origin), while Malachi means My messenger (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Micah first appears in 1946 and Malachi in 1880, so Malachi has the longer recorded history.