girls' name ★ peaked 1969

Malinda

Meaning Variant of Melinda, used since the eighteenth century Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,881 Trend → Stable

Variant of Melinda, used since the eighteenth century.

Rank 2025
#2,881
among girls · ↓1 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
59
named Malinda · +2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 27,242
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1969
460 babies
All-time total
21,464
#1,020 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Malinda popularity over time

21,464 babies have been named Malinda since 1880, 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
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1881Girls

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 485 49 – #254
1890s 590 59 +22% #308
1900s 601 60 +2% #373
1910s 893 89 +49% #527
1920s 789 79 -12% #674
1930s 562 56 -29% #802
1940s 1,433 143 +155% #554
1950s 2,757 276 +92% #496
1960s 3,544 354 +29% #447
1970s 4,100 410 +16% #427
1980s 2,458 246 -40% #533
1990s 1,251 125 -49% #987
2000s 946 95 -24% #1,596
2010s 687 69 -27% #2,249
2020s (to 2025) 368 61 -11% #2,390

Where Malinda 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 59 0.04 outside top 500
2027 59 0.04 outside top 500
2028 59 0.04 outside top 500
2029 59 0.04 outside top 500
2030 59 0.04 outside top 500

Where Malinda is most popular

Girls named Malinda per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.038 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Ohio.

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 Malinda 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
Pennsylvania 105 0.444 +1070%
Kentucky 13 0.152 +300%
Ohio 36 0.152 +300%
Wisconsin 14 0.136 +258%
Michigan 12 0.066 +74%
Indiana 6 0.043 +13%
Missouri 5 0.041 +9%
New York 10 0.025 -33%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
California – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Texas – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Malinda

Malinda is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,881 in 2025 with 59 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 21,464 American babies have been named Malinda. Its peak came in 1969, when 460 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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

How old are people named Malinda?

The median living Malinda is about 52 years old; half are between 40 and 63. An estimated 16 thousand people named Malinda are alive in the United States today.

median 52 020406080100

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

Malinda year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 59 #2,881
2024 58 #2,880
2023 76 #2,390
2022 67 #2,624
2021 48 #3,326
2020 60 #2,767
2019 62 #2,741
2018 71 #2,499
2017 64 #2,707
2016 67 #2,635
2015 80 #2,333
2014 84 #2,249
2013 75 #2,425
2012 59 #2,927
2011 55 #3,081
2010 70 #2,604
2009 97 #2,098
2008 83 #2,348
2007 83 #2,323
2006 97 #2,045
2005 80 #2,272
2004 90 #2,035
2003 89 #2,029
2002 108 #1,705
2001 108 #1,680
2000 111 #1,596
1995 119 #1,386
1990 187 #987
1985 212 #791
1980 355 #533
1975 353 #507
1970 453 #463
1965 372 #494
1960 316 #547
1955 263 #562
1950 224 #555
1945 128 #650
1940 102 #690
1935 42 #1,081
1930 46 #1,096
1925 81 #831
1920 117 #674
1915 113 #620
1910 48 #607
1905 60 #434
1900 81 #373
1895 60 #364
1890 62 #323
1885 45 #298
1880 35 #263

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Malinda?

The median living Malinda is about 52 years old. Half of all living Malindas are between 40 and 63 years old.

How many people named Malinda are alive today?

An estimated 16 thousand people named Malinda are alive in the United States, based on 21,464 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Malinda mean?

Variant of Melinda, used since the eighteenth century.

How popular is the name Malinda in 2025?

Malinda ranked #2,881 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 59 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Malinda?

21,464 babies have been named Malinda in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Malinda most popular?

Malinda peaked in 1969, when 460 newborns received the name.

Is Malinda a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Malinda rising or falling?

Malinda has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Malinda become more popular?

Malinda looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 59 girls named Malinda in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Malinda

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

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