boys' name ★ peaked 2023

Malek

Meaning Malek is a masculine Arabic given name Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,472 Trend ↑ Rising 17%

Malek is a masculine Arabic given name.

Rank 2025
#1,472
among boys · ↓42 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
121
named Malek · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 14,116
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2023
151 babies
All-time total
3,092
#2,485 all-time among boys
First recorded
1974
in Social Security records

Malek popularity over time

3,092 babies have been named Malek since 1974, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – 31 31 3 – #3,974
1980s – 85 85 9 +174% #3,793
1990s – 505 505 51 +494% #1,410
2000s – 780 780 78 +54% #1,495
2010s 6 924 930 93 +19% #1,377
2020s (to 2025) – 761 761 127 +36% #1,278

Where Malek is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 124 0.07 outside top 500
2027 127 0.07 outside top 500
2028 129 0.08 outside top 500
2029 131 0.08 outside top 500
2030 133 0.08 outside top 500

Where Malek is most popular

Boys named Malek per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.074 per 1,000. Strongest in Michigan, New York, and New Jersey.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Malek 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Michigan 48 0.234 +218%
New York 57 0.132 +79%
New Jersey 26 0.129 +75%
California 113 0.124 +68%
Florida 48 0.101 +38%
Illinois 21 0.082 +12%
Texas 68 0.077 +5%
Oregon 5 0.066 -11%
Arizona 10 0.061 -17%
Ohio 12 0.045 -39%
Pennsylvania 11 0.041 -44%
Minnesota 5 0.041 -45%
Washington 5 0.031 -58%
Virginia 5 0.026 -64%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Malek

Malek is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,472 in 2025 with 121 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1974, 3,092 American babies have been named Malek. Its peak came in 2023, when 151 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Malek stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Malek?

The median living Malek is about 14 years old; half are between 6 and 23. An estimated 3,100 people named Malek are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

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

Malek year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 121 #1,472
2024 – – 128 #1,430
2023 – – 151 #1,278
2022 – – 118 #1,529
2021 – – 118 #1,511
2020 – – 125 #1,393
2019 – – 130 #1,377
2018 – – 100 #1,636
2017 – – 93 #1,702
2016 – – 95 #1,670
2015 – – 72 #2,011
2014 – – 96 #1,622
2013 – – 83 #1,759
2012 – – 97 #1,612
2011 6 #16,066 81 #1,790
2010 – – 77 #1,875
2009 – – 98 #1,623
2008 – – 88 #1,729
2007 – – 69 #2,027
2006 – – 71 #1,908
2005 – – 84 #1,627
2004 – – 71 #1,776
2003 – – 71 #1,727
2002 – – 72 #1,657
2001 – – 82 #1,495
2000 – – 74 #1,599
1995 – – 58 #1,596
1990 – – 23 #2,836
1985 – – 8 #4,992
1980 – – 6 #5,963
1975 – – 5 #5,981
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Malek

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Malek Jaziri Malek Jaziri Tunisian tennis player (born 1984) Contemporary
  2. 2 Malek Mouath Saudi Arabian footballer b. 1981 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Malek?

The median living Malek is about 14 years old. Half of all living Maleks are between 6 and 23 years old.

How many people named Malek are alive today?

An estimated 3,100 people named Malek are alive in the United States, based on 3,092 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Malek mean?

Malek is a masculine Arabic given name.

How popular is the name Malek in 2025?

Malek ranked #1,472 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 121 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Malek?

3,092 babies have been named Malek in the United States since 1974, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Malek most popular?

Malek peaked in 2023, when 151 newborns received the name.

Is Malek a boy or girl name?

Malek is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Malek rising or falling?

Malek is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Malek become more popular?

Malek is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 133 boys named Malek in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Malek?

Well-known people named Malek include Malek Jaziri (tennis player), Malek Mouath (soccer player).

Names like Malek

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

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