Maliyah
Maliyah was the 626th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 467 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 297th with 1,117 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 191 places. More babies were named Maliyah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning probably a spelling of Malia (Hawaiian 'Mary') · Hawaiian, Hebrew, American English
Say it muh-LEE-uh /məˈliə/
- Rank in 2025
- #626 girls, down 162 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 467girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20091,117 babies
- Total since 1880
- 15,359babies recorded
What does the name Maliyah mean?
Maliyah is a modern American spelling. Wiktionary calls it probably a fanciful spelling of Malia, the Hawaiian form of Mary. Wiktionary adds that some uses of Malia come instead from Hawaiian Mālia, calm. Mary itself goes back to Hebrew Miryam, whose meaning DMNES calls uncertain. The -iyah ending matches other recent American spellings such as Aaliyah, and US records show Maliyah only from the mid-1990s.
Malia (Hawaiian, “Mary”)Mālia (Hawaiian, “calm”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Wiktionary says 'probably' from Malia; the deeper meaning depends on whether Malia means 'Mary' or 'calm' for a given family.
Related names: Malia, Maliah, Mary, Maria.
See also: Hawaiian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Maliyah' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Malia' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mary', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Maliyah popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #626 | 467 |
| 2020 | #464 | 665 |
| 2010 | #358 | 890 |
| 2000 | #1,500 | 123 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Maliyah, counting every spelling?
Maliyah is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #571 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #626 for Maliyah on its own. Together these spellings went to 526 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maliyah | 467 | #626 | 2,735 |
| Maliya | 53 | #3,090 | 341 |
| Maaliyah | 6 | #14,261 | 39 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Maliyah?
467 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Maliyah (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Maliyah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 18 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Maliyah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Maliyah?
About 15,200 people born in the US named Maliyah are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 7 and 17. That makes Maliyah a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Maliyah by state
How common Maliyah was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (3.5×), Louisiana (2.4×), Georgia (2.2×), Alabama (2.2×), Maryland (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Oregon, Idaho, Minnesota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Maliyah: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Maliyah, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Maliyah · Sibling names for Maliyah
Questions about the name Maliyah
What does Maliyah mean?
Maliyah is usually explained as “probably a spelling of Malia (Hawaiian 'Mary')”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Maliyah?
Maliyah was the 626th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 467 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 297th with 1,117 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 191 places. More babies were named Maliyah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Maliyah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Maliyah in the US.
Where is Maliyah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Maliyah was most common in Mississippi (1.18 per 1,000 girls), followed by Louisiana and Georgia.