Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2014

Malaya

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #775 Trend ↓ Falling 16%
Rank 2025
#775
among girls · ↑38 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
351
named Malaya · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,579
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2014
449 babies
All-time total
8,467
#1,857 all-time among girls
First recorded
1977
in Social Security records

Malaya popularity over time

8,467 babies have been named Malaya since 1977, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2021Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 23 2 – #5,728
1980s 33 3 +43% #9,917
1990s 225 23 +582% #2,835
2000s 1,980 198 +780% #758
2010s 3,907 391 +97% #633
2020s (to 2025) 2,299 383 -2% #666

Where Malaya is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 343 0.21 outside top 500
2027 337 0.21 outside top 500
2028 332 0.21 outside top 500
2029 328 0.20 outside top 500
2030 324 0.20 outside top 500

Where Malaya is most popular

Girls named Malaya per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.230 per 1,000. Strongest in South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Malaya born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
South Carolina 60 0.667 +190%
Mississippi 29 0.620 +169%
Louisiana 49 0.560 +143%
Georgia 116 0.511 +122%
Alabama 46 0.490 +113%
Michigan 83 0.456 +98%
Tennessee 70 0.442 +92%
Indiana 54 0.385 +67%
Virginia 64 0.375 +63%
North Carolina 80 0.351 +52%
Florida 147 0.344 +49%
Wisconsin 35 0.340 +47%
Ohio 80 0.337 +46%
Illinois 75 0.328 +42%
Maryland 32 0.302 +31%
Missouri 33 0.274 +19%
Kentucky 22 0.257 +12%
Pennsylvania 56 0.237 ≈ national
California 188 0.224 ≈ national
New Mexico 5 0.206 -11%
West Virginia 5 0.191 -17%
Texas 153 0.190 -17%
Arizona 25 0.178 -23%
New York 62 0.157 -32%
Oklahoma 11 0.149 -35%
Nebraska 5 0.139 -40%
New Jersey 20 0.111 -52%
Nevada 5 0.108 -53%
Minnesota 11 0.102 -56%
Arkansas 5 0.095 -59%
Kansas 5 0.087 -62%
Washington 11 0.076 -67%
Utah 5 0.060 -74%
Colorado 5 0.045 -81%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Malaya

Malaya is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #775 in 2025 with 351 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1977, 8,467 American babies have been named Malaya. Its peak came in 2014, when 449 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Malaya stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Malaya?

The median living Malaya is about 10 years old; half are between 5 and 16. An estimated 8,400 people named Malaya are alive in the United States today.

median 10 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Malaya year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 351 #775
2024 341 #813
2023 315 #852
2022 416 #708
2021 447 #666
2020 429 #667
2019 432 #671
2018 380 #736
2017 413 #702
2016 442 #667
2015 391 #726
2014 449 #638
2013 444 #633
2012 350 #783
2011 288 #908
2010 318 #846
2009 376 #758
2008 263 #1,008
2007 261 #1,017
2006 276 #947
2005 212 #1,118
2004 169 #1,272
2003 126 #1,539
2002 116 #1,601
2001 97 #1,828
2000 84 #1,994
1995 16 #5,846
1990 7 #10,912
1985 – –
1980 5 #11,419
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Malaya, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Malaya?

The median living Malaya is about 10 years old. Half of all living Malayas are between 5 and 16 years old.

How many people named Malaya are alive today?

An estimated 8,400 people named Malaya are alive in the United States, based on 8,467 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Malaya in 2025?

Malaya ranked #775 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 351 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Malaya?

8,467 babies have been named Malaya in the United States since 1977, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Malaya most popular?

Malaya peaked in 2014, when 449 newborns received the name.

Is Malaya a boy or girl name?

Malaya is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Malaya rising or falling?

Malaya is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Malaya become more popular?

Malaya is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 324 girls named Malaya in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Malaya

Names that sound and feel close to Malaya: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Malaya with similar names → More names starting with M →