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Machaela
How to Pronounce Machaela
Pronounced mih-KAY-luh /mɪˈkeɪ.lə/Medium
Meaning: Machaela is a variant spelling of Michaela, the feminine form of Michael. Michael comes from the Hebrew Mikha'el, a rhetorical question meaning 'who is like God?'. Michaela and its many spellings (Makayla, Mikaela, Machaela) flourished in the 1990s; Machaela keeps the sound with an -ach- middle.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
Machaela respells Michaela, the feminine of Michael, from Hebrew Mikha'el, 'who is like God?'. In the 1990s this sound exploded into spellings — Makayla, Mikayla, Mikaela, Machaela — each a small tributary of a hugely fashionable name.
It stayed rare beside the popular forms, drawing a small annual handful from the mid-1980s into the 2010s. A Machaela is most likely a millennial; the spelling firmly dates the name, though its 'who is like God?' meaning gives it lasting depth.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Machaela mean?
Machaela is a spelling of Michaela, the feminine of Michael, from Hebrew 'who is like God?'.
How do you pronounce Machaela?
It's said mih-KAY-luh /mɪˈkeɪ.lə/ — three syllables, stress in the middle.
Is Machaela a boy or girl name?
Machaela is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Machaela?
Machaela was always rare, a variant of Michaela that peaked in the late nineteen-nineties.