Makari goes back to the Greek Makarios, which means "blessed" or "happy" and is the source of the Russian Makar and the Spanish Macario. In the United States it is mostly heard as a modern name in the style of Amari and Jamari, with the stress on the second syllable. Makari climbed from number 2840 in 2015 to the top 1000 in 2024 and reached number 918 in 2025, its best rank so far.