embrisa.
embrisa.
Theme
Masculine

Malakai

/ˈmæl.ə.kaɪ/

My messenger

Hebrew

How to say it

MAL · a · kai

/ˈmæl.ə.kaɪ/

What it means

Variant spelling of Malachi, from the Hebrew Mal'akhi ('my messenger' or 'messenger of Yahweh'). Malachi was the last of the twelve minor Hebrew prophets and the final book of the Old Testament bears his name.

Malakai is a phonetic variant spelling of Malachi, from the Hebrew Mal'akhi, meaning 'my messenger' or 'messenger of Yahweh.' Malachi was the last of the twelve minor Hebrew prophets, and the final book of the Old Testament (and the Hebrew Tanakh's Nevi'im) carries his name. The Malachi spelling is the traditional one used in English Bibles since the King James Version (1611). The Malakai spelling emerged in the US in the 2010s as parents reached for the same name with a more phonetic-American shape. Both spellings have been climbing the US charts; Malakai entered the top 500 in 2019. Common short: Kai or Mal.

Popularity over time

#10 #100 #1000 #1 #931018802025

peaked at #213 in 2025, currently #213 in 2025.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving

Heads-up notes

  • Spelling

    Malachi (Bible standard since King James, 1611) and Malakai (modern phonetic-American) are the same name. Both pronounced MAL-uh-kai.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

  • Malachi the prophet Last of the twelve minor Hebrew prophets, c. 5th century BC

Spelling variants

  • Malachi
  • Malaki
  • Malachy