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Macaela
How to Pronounce Macaela
Pronounced muh-KAY-luh /məˈkeɪlə/Medium
Meaning: Macaela is a respelling of Michaela, the feminine form of Michael, from the Hebrew mikha'el meaning who is like God. The ac- spelling reshapes the look while keeping the parent name's meaning.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Macaela is a respelling of Michaela, the feminine of Michael, from the Hebrew mikha'el, a rhetorical question meaning who is like God. As Michaela climbed in the 1980s and 90s, dozens of spellings appeared; this one swaps in an ac- for a softer look. It shows up in United States records from the early 1980s and reached a quiet high in the early 2000s, given to only a couple dozen girls a year.
A Macaela from that early-2000s high is now in her twenties. The standard Michaela and Makayla remain the common routes, so this spelling reads as a personal variant of its era, carrying the same strong Hebrew meaning.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Macaela mean?
It is a respelling of Michaela, the feminine of Michael, from the Hebrew for who is like God.
How do you pronounce Macaela?
It's said muh-KAY-luh /məˈkeɪlə/, three syllables.
Is Macaela a boy or girl name?
Macaela is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Macaela?
It has always been rare, a Michaela respelling given to only a couple dozen girls a year at its peak in the early two-thousands.