girls' name ★ peaked 2009

Malia

Meaning en (English) Gender Girl Rank 2025 #349 Trend ↓ Falling 17%

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Rank 2025
#349
among girls · ↓21 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
872
named Malia · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,843
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2009
1,700 babies
All-time total
31,606
#812 all-time among girls
First recorded
1919
in Social Security records

Malia popularity over time

31,606 babies have been named Malia since 1919, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2009Girls

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 5 1 – #5,274
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s 5 1 – #5,407
1950s 323 32 +6360% #1,079
1960s 449 45 +39% #1,473
1970s 1,027 103 +129% #934
1980s 1,442 144 +40% #920
1990s 2,477 248 +72% #584
2000s 8,205 821 +231% #192
2010s 11,140 1,114 +36% #216
2020s (to 2025) 6,533 1,089 -2% #256

Where Malia 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 841 0.52 #363
2027 815 0.51 #377
2028 794 0.49 #392
2029 776 0.48 #402
2030 762 0.47 #410

Where Malia is most popular

Girls named Malia per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.661 per 1,000. Strongest in Hawaii, Delaware, and Nevada.

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 Malia 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
Hawaii 84 7.33 +1009%
Delaware 17 1.50 +127%
Nevada 62 1.33 +102%
New Mexico 32 1.32 +99%
Rhode Island 16 1.28 +93%
Maryland 124 1.17 +77%
Idaho 38 1.14 +72%
Mississippi 50 1.07 +62%
Connecticut 61 1.05 +59%
South Carolina 94 1.05 +58%
Washington 148 1.02 +55%
Arkansas 52 0.984 +49%
Virginia 166 0.974 +47%
Georgia 219 0.964 +46%
Utah 80 0.961 +45%
Florida 397 0.928 +40%
Alabama 85 0.905 +37%
Minnesota 96 0.890 +35%
Kansas 51 0.884 +34%
Pennsylvania 208 0.880 +33%
Arizona 123 0.877 +33%
Indiana 122 0.869 +32%
Oregon 56 0.860 +30%
Michigan 156 0.856 +30%
Maine 13 0.840 +27%
West Virginia 22 0.839 +27%
Iowa 48 0.821 +24%
California 690 0.821 +24%
Ohio 191 0.805 +22%
Colorado 89 0.797 +21%
Wisconsin 82 0.796 +20%
New Jersey 143 0.792 +20%
Missouri 94 0.780 +18%
Oklahoma 57 0.774 +17%
Louisiana 67 0.765 +16%
North Carolina 174 0.764 +16%
Illinois 157 0.686 ≈ national
Tennessee 106 0.669 ≈ national
Kentucky 56 0.655 ≈ national
Nebraska 23 0.640 ≈ national
New York 253 0.639 ≈ national
Massachusetts 73 0.604 -9%
Texas 367 0.456 -31%
Montana 6 0.443 -33%
South Dakota 5 0.350 -47%
New Hampshire 5 0.271 -59%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
North 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 Malia

Malia is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #349 in 2025 with 872 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1919, 31,606 American babies have been named Malia. Its peak came in 2009, when 1,700 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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

How old are people named Malia?

The median living Malia is about 14 years old; half are between 7 and 22. An estimated 31 thousand people named Malia 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.

Malia year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 872 #349
2024 948 #328
2023 1,146 #274
2022 1,191 #265
2021 1,204 #256
2020 1,172 #259
2019 1,264 #262
2018 1,280 #255
2017 1,429 #216
2016 1,237 #259
2015 1,031 #315
2014 955 #348
2013 959 #336
2012 899 #353
2011 1,011 #313
2010 1,075 #301
2009 1,700 #192
2008 968 #344
2007 817 #400
2006 784 #406
2005 741 #418
2004 681 #449
2003 706 #426
2002 682 #428
2001 585 #476
2000 541 #499
1995 227 #858
1990 159 #1,102
1985 130 #1,115
1980 149 #992
1975 94 #1,224
1970 63 #1,553
1965 57 #1,477
1960 32 #2,040
1955 88 #1,079
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Malia?

The median living Malia is about 14 years old. Half of all living Malias are between 7 and 22 years old.

How many people named Malia are alive today?

An estimated 31 thousand people named Malia are alive in the United States, based on 31,606 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Malia mean?

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How popular is the name Malia in 2025?

Malia ranked #349 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 872 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Malia?

31,606 babies have been named Malia in the United States since 1919, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Malia most popular?

Malia peaked in 2009, when 1,700 newborns received the name.

Is Malia a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Malia rising or falling?

Malia has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Malia become more popular?

Malia is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 762 girls named Malia in 2030, which would rank around #410. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Malia

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

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