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Mala as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Mala

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The baby name Mala is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmaːlaː/ (Sanskrit: MAA-laa),/ˈmɑːlə/ (English: MAH-luh),/ˈmɑːla/ (common Anglicized: MAH-lah).

Mala is Hawaiian, Sanskrit, Slavic in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Hawaiian, Sanskrit, Slavic
Pronunciation: /ˈmaːlaː/ (Sanskrit: MAA-laa),/ˈmɑːlə/ (English: MAH-luh),/ˈmɑːla/ (common Anglicized: MAH-lah)

What is the meaning of the name Mala ?

The baby name Mala is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmaːlaː/ (Sanskrit: MAA-laa),/ˈmɑːlə/ (English: MAH-luh),/ˈmɑːla/ (common Anglicized: MAH-lah).

Mala is Hawaiian, Sanskrit, Slavic in Origin.

Mala is a feminine given name with several layered origins. In Sanskrit mālā (“garland, rosary, necklace”), it evokes beauty, devotion, and auspiciousness; the spelling Mala is used in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, and Nepali. In Dravidian contexts, especially Malayalam and Tamil, mala/malai means “hill,” lending a nature-based meaning in South India and Sri Lanka. Pronounced MAH-lah.

Documented in South Asian naming for centuries, it gained wide modern visibility in the 20th century through literature and film (e.g., Indian actress Mala Sinha). The name also appears in Jewish Eastern European usage as Mala, often a diminutive of Malka (“queen”); Auschwitz resister Mala Zimetbaum is a noted bearer. Variants and transliterations include Mālā (IAST), Maala, and Maalaa; it also serves as a short form of Malati or Malini. Related names by theme include Mallika and Kamala, though they are etymologically distinct.

Mala has the following similar or variant Names

Mala – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
FJ Boys 0 #17 1 603
MV 0 #19 1 644
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
PR 0 #55 1 1,497
IN 0 #70 2 2,963
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
MV Boys 0 #78 2 3,375
SI 0 #80 1 1,612
RS 0 #82 3 923
MD Girls 0 #92 1 865
AF Girls 0 #94 1 2,402
ID Girls 0 #101 2 3,319
RS Girls 0 #103 33 1,651
QA 0 #104 3 7,011
BN Girls 0 #106 9 5,459
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
CY Girls 0 #123 3 3,755
MU Girls 0 #125 276 8,539
IQ 0 #132 2 3,533
MU 0 #132 6 3,613
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
HR Girls 0 #147 217 3,687
MT Girls 0 #152 2 3,773
RS Boys 0 #152 3 2,277
SI Girls 0 #163 12 2,769
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
HR 0 #176 6 2,081
AE 0 #182 6 10,220
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
CZ 0 #185 2 3,154
LU Girls 0 #187 4 4,850
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
SI Boys 0 #209 3 3,402
PL 0 #211 2 2,600
BD 0 #214 14 5,992
KW Girls 0 #214 343 19,177
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
LU Boys 0 #220 1 4,970
IN Girls 0 #223 583 13,121
PS 0 #223 4 5,692
AL Girls 0 #226 2 4,141
MY Girls 0 #229 1,503 24,821
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
NA Girls 0 #236 2 7,146
GR Girls 0 #243 7 6,293
HR Boys 0 #243 16 3,997
AO Boys 0 #248 2 5,568
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
NA Boys 0 #252 2 6,830
TW Boys 0 #255 2 7,111
SG 0 #258 12 11,010
TW Girls 0 #259 18 8,139
MO Girls 0 #263 1 7,056
OM Girls 0 #263 134 15,987
NG 0 #264 9 5,926
GR Boys 0 #272 2 6,912
AF Boys 0 #274 1 3,535
JM Girls 0 #276 3 7,507
QA Girls 0 #279 38 15,378
BD Girls 0 #288 99 8,413
MY 0 #291 40 12,352
JM Boys 0 #292 2 6,876
AL Boys 0 #301 3 5,122
JO Girls 0 #303 23 7,570
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
SA 0 #304 9 10,560
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
PL Girls 0 #309 46 5,096
DK Girls 0 #327 3 7,429
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
CZ Girls 0 #332 10 5,378
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
GH Girls 0 #334 4 6,973
PL Boys 0 #339 2 6,459
IQ Boys 0 #351 386 13,071
SD Girls 0 #351 8 7,678
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
CN Girls 0 #359 1 8,829
GH Boys 0 #361 1 8,138
MU Boys 0 #367 3 8,477
YE 0 #371 11 8,639
SG Girls 0 #377 217 18,916
PT Boys 0 #378 4 7,951
JO Boys 0 #382 8 7,057
France Girls 2001 #387 3 2,681
Austria Girls 0 #399 22 1,885
AE Girls 0 #408 146 20,968
PH Boys 0 #408 1 11,440
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
PH Girls 0 #422 8 13,098
SD Boys 0 #432 14 10,523
ZA 0 #434 14 14,421
MX 0 #443 3 8,339
PT Girls 0 #468 4 7,952
AR Boys 0 #482 2 7,628
IQ Girls 0 #482 23 11,303
PS Girls 0 #503 21 10,981
LY 0 #504 32 12,703
PA Boys 0 #505 1 9,305
BH 0 #508 46 17,937
IR Girls 0 #515 16 8,334
PA Girls 0 #518 1 9,861
RU Girls 0 #520 4 11,913
CM Girls 0 #523 18 11,671
CM Boys 0 #524 27 12,054
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
UY Girls 0 #533 4 6,731
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
IR Boys 0 #562 4 10,162
BD Boys 0 #563 14 10,045
CR Girls 0 #569 5 11,342
HK Girls 0 #588 28 16,104
IL Girls 0 #596 22 11,648
SA Girls 0 #617 328 25,931
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
IL Boys 0 #623 3 10,983
LB 0 #625 34 13,263
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
BO Girls 0 #651 1 9,488
SY 0 #672 57 11,684
SG Boys 0 #679 19 17,960
QA Boys 0 #690 18 18,093
KW Boys 0 #698 72 18,755
IT 0 #705 10 4,183
NG Boys 0 #722 237 16,906
BR Boys 0 #777 9 12,213
Germany Girls 0 #784 55 4,949
TN 0 #790 40 13,765
ZA Girls 0 #801 355 25,928
NL Girls 0 #813 143 5,933
NG Girls 0 #818 9 15,093
OM Boys 0 #843 39 17,948
EG Boys 0 #870 17 15,035
United States Girls 2023 #899 16 8,600
IN Boys 0 #899 103 16,750
CL Girls 0 #914 2 14,098
EG Girls 0 #919 41 14,742
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
Germany Boys 0 #934 19 5,697
Spain Girls 0 #971 13 5,561
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
BR Girls 0 #990 3 12,708
MX Boys 0 #1,033 1 16,355
MA 0 #1,037 92 20,986
MY Boys 0 #1,037 75 25,439
AE Boys 0 #1,057 36 22,615
DZ 0 #1,099 78 20,130
CO Girls 0 #1,146 7 16,140
ZA Boys 0 #1,153 26 25,619
MX Girls 0 #1,171 13 17,781
TR 0 #1,175 37 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,318 129 9,415
IT Boys 0 #1,392 80 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,472 143 28,008

Mala is popular in 78 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
AE
AF
AL
AO

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People also ask about Mala

Mala is predominantly a girl's name.
Mala is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈmaːlaː/ (Sanskrit: MAA-laa),/ˈmɑːlə/ (English: MAH-luh),/ˈmɑːla/ (common Anglicized: MAH-lah).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Mālā (Sanskrit transliteration), Maala, Malla and Malá (Czech/Slovak spelling with accent).
Across languages, Mala has these equivalents: Lei (Hawaiian, 'garland'), Malini (Sanskrit, related name meaning 'garlanded'), Corona (Latin root meaning 'wreath/crown'), Malá (Slavic equivalent meaning 'small'/'little').
Yes — Mala ranked #387 in France in 2001, and appears in official birth registries across 2 countries.
Mala ranks highest in France (#387 in 2001).
Mala's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #912 in 2013 to #899 in 2023 in United States.