Makaveli

Makaveli was an alias of Tupac Shakur — his posthumous album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, was released under the pseudonym. The album was released in 1996, following his death, and the next year Makaveli debuted on the baby name charts after being given to 11 baby boys.

Makaveli is still used as a name today, albeit in very small numbers. Aside from Tupac, it calls to mind Niccolò Machiavelli and Machiavellianism — the personality trait characterized by manipulativeness, opportunism, and deceit.

The origins of the Machiavelli surname are debated. It may be derived from the Italian word mal, "bad," and clavellus, "nail," perhaps denoting ancestral metalworkers. Alternatively, Machiavelli may be an Italian variation of Melchior, one of the names of the Three Wise Men.

Pronounced mah-kuh-VAY-lee.

As of October 2026, Makaveli ranked #13200 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #5521 in 1997.