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Malia

Meaning
Also glossed as calm
Origin
Hawaiian — Hawaiian form of Mary

Girl's name · #349 in the US (2025) · 2020s wave

Popularity over time

Malia first appeared in 1919, vanished from the records entirely for 26 years, and since returning in 1946 has climbed back to #349. About 32,000 girls have carried it in all.

Malia climbed sharply in 2009, when Malia Obama became one of the nation’s First Daughters.

Across the states

In recent years, Malia ran about 6× its national rate in Hawaii—where it ranked #20 in 2025.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 44 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Malia ranks in other countries and regions.

#50 in Switzerland (2025) · #95 in Austria (2025) · #99 in New Zealand (2025) · #238 in France (2025) · #267 in Belgium (2025) · #283 in N. Ireland (2025) · #458 in Scotland (2025) · #555 in Poland (2025) · #810 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,037 in Ireland (2025) · #2,114 in Ecuador (2025) · #327 in Canada (2024).

Famous Malias

In stories & tradition

What Malias become

Among 57 notable people named Malia:

Sports figures appear 2.74× more often than among typical names — e.g. Malia Metella, French swimmer.

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variants Maliyah (#626) and Maliah (#1688), Malia would rank around #208 with about 1,500 births last year — the newborns split about 60/32/8 across Malia, Maliyah, and Maliah.

Similar names: Maliyah · Kalani · Malka · Alia · Milani · Malani

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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