Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2019

Mali

Gender Unisex · 94% girls Rank 2025 #3,954 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#3,954
among girls · ↓334 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
45
named Mali · -13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 43,440
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2019
69 babies
All-time total
1,495
#5,946 all-time among girls
First recorded
1967
in Social Security records

Mali popularity over time

1,495 babies have been named Mali since 1967, 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
0.010.020.030.0418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 7 – 7 1 – #5,806
1970s 32 7 39 4 +457% #6,647
1980s 81 – 81 8 +108% #5,767
1990s 139 11 150 15 +85% #4,398
2000s 414 10 424 42 +183% #2,793
2010s 451 15 466 47 +10% #2,700
2020s (to 2025) 282 46 328 55 +17% #2,875

Where Mali 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 37 0.02 outside top 500
2027 37 0.02 outside top 500
2028 37 0.02 outside top 500
2029 37 0.02 outside top 500
2030 37 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Mali

Mali is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,954 in 2025 with 37 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1967, 1,495 American babies have been named Mali, about 94% girls and 6% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2019, when 69 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 Mali stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Mali?

The median living Mali is about 14 years old; half are between 6 and 22. An estimated 1,500 people named Mali 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.

Mali 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 37 #3,954 8 #9,406
2024 43 #3,620 9 #8,734
2023 59 #2,875 9 #8,671
2022 46 #3,453 9 #8,737
2021 48 #3,325 11 #7,415
2020 49 #3,213 – –
2019 64 #2,700 5 #13,397
2018 32 #4,417 – –
2017 44 #3,526 – –
2016 37 #4,053 – –
2015 41 #3,742 5 #13,309
2014 52 #3,171 5 #13,316
2013 43 #3,616 – –
2012 48 #3,406 – –
2011 48 #3,391 – –
2010 42 #3,728 – –
2009 52 #3,230 5 #13,749
2008 65 #2,793 – –
2007 46 #3,575 – –
2006 37 #4,053 – –
2005 43 #3,484 5 #12,628
2004 35 #4,059 – –
2003 55 #2,824 – –
2002 29 #4,345 – –
2001 24 #4,941 – –
2000 28 #4,362 – –
1995 15 #6,145 – –
1990 6 #12,305 – –
1985 10 #6,753 – –
1980 5 #11,421 – –
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 Mali, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Mali?

The median living Mali is about 14 years old. Half of all living Malis are between 6 and 22 years old.

How many people named Mali are alive today?

An estimated 1,500 people named Mali are alive in the United States, based on 1,495 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Mali in 2025?

Mali ranked #3,954 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 37 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Mali?

1,495 babies have been named Mali in the United States since 1967, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Mali most popular?

Mali peaked in 2019, when 69 newborns received the name.

Is Mali a boy or girl name?

Mali is used for both: about 94% of babies named Mali have been girls and 6% boys.

Is the name Mali rising or falling?

Mali has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Mali become more popular?

Mali looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 37 girls named Mali in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Mali

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

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