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“Hawaiian form of Mary; also glossed as calm” — Hawaiian origin
Girl's name · #349 in the US (2025) · 2020s
Malia first appeared in 1919, vanished from the records entirely for 26 years, and since returning in 1946 has climbed back to #349. About 32,000 girls have carried it in all. In Hawaii it runs about 6× its national rate and ranks #29. Malia climbed sharply in 2009, when Malia Obama became one of the nation’s First Daughters. Together with its spelling variants Maliyah (#626) and Maliah (#1688), Malia would rank around #208 with about 1,500 births last year — the newborns split about 60/32/8 across Malia, Maliyah, and Maliah.
Around the world: #36 in Switzerland (2024) · #95 in Austria (2025) · #99 in New Zealand (2025).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 44 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 57 notable people named Malia:
Sports figures appear 2.74× more often than among typical names — e.g. Malia Metella, French swimmer.
Similar names: Maliyah · Kaia · Malka · Alia · Kalani · Malani
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