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“Variant of Melinda — Modern coinage — blended from Melanie and Melissa with -inda” — Modern coinage origin
Girl's name · #2881 in the US (2025) · Timeless
Few names move less than Malinda — on the books since 1880, #2881 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 21,000 girls share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. In Pennsylvania and Ohio it runs 3–10× its national rate. Its center of gravity has moved: strongest in the South in the 1940s and 1950s, strongest in the Midwest today.
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 7 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 24 notable people named Malinda:
No single standout — notable Malindas spread across many fields.
Similar names: Melinda · Rena · Mahalia · Lucinda · Zena · Maybelle
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