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Malena as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Malena

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The baby name Malena is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /maˈle.na/ (Spanish: ma-LEH-na),/məˈleɪnə/ (English: muh-LAY-nuh).

Malena is Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 3.0
Pronunciation: /maˈle.na/ (Spanish: ma-LEH-na),/məˈleɪnə/ (English: muh-LAY-nuh)

What is the meaning of the name Malena ?

The baby name Malena is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /maˈle.na/ (Spanish: ma-LEH-na),/məˈleɪnə/ (English: muh-LAY-nuh).

Malena is Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish in Origin.

Malena is a feminine given name rooted in the Magdalene tradition. In Spanish, Italian, and Swedish it is chiefly a contracted or familiar form of Magdalena/Maddalena/Madalena, the name borne by Mary Magdalene. The biblical epithet Magdalene denotes “woman from Magdala,” from Hebrew migdal “tower,” yielding associations of strength and elevation. In contemporary usage Malena also stands as an independent name across Romance and Scandinavian languages, with the Italian form sometimes written Malèna.

Usage spread with Christian naming across Europe and later flourished in Spanish-speaking South America - especially Argentina - helped by the celebrated 1941 tango “Malena.” In Sweden it appears alongside the popular cognate Malin. Notable bearers include Swedish mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman, who has kept the name current. Related variants and diminutives: Magdalena/Magdalene, Maddalena, Madalena, Malin, Magda, Lena, Marlena, and Marlene.

Malena has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Malena

Malena Ernman Musician · Born 1970 · Sweden Malena Ernman is best known as a Swedish mezzo-soprano opera singer. She has performed in opera, operetta, cabaret, jazz, and musicals, and she represented Sweden at Eurovision 2009 with the song "La voix."

Malena – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Girls 2025 #1 411
Ireland Girls 2007 #1 937
AF 0 #76 1 1,883
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
RS 0 #84 1 923
MD Girls 0 #92 1 865
Norway Girls 2024 #117 5 444
EC 0 #118 4 2,502
Switzerland Girls 2024 #131 5 1,786
RS Girls 0 #133 5 1,651
PA 0 #135 4 3,797
AR 0 #144 43 2,915
UY 0 #152 26 2,477
AR Girls 0 #154 1,239 8,289
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
CR 0 #162 4 5,526
PR Girls 0 #166 2 3,171
Sweden Girls 2019 #171 3 1,585
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
AE 0 #187 1 10,220
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
AO Girls 0 #199 11 4,575
LT Girls 0 #200 1 1,904
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
EC Girls 0 #210 30 3,650
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
UY Girls 0 #220 422 6,731
AL Girls 0 #226 2 4,141
BG Girls 0 #227 5 3,559
JP Girls 0 #244 8 6,592
EC Boys 0 #245 2 3,322
GR Girls 0 #248 2 6,293
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
PE 0 #251 60 6,350
NA Boys 0 #252 2 6,830
HR Boys 0 #259 1 3,997
MO Girls 0 #262 2 7,056
HR Girls 0 #270 20 3,687
Canada Girls 2024 #280 6 2,795
IL 0 #281 2 6,291
DK Girls 0 #304 13 7,429
MX Girls 0 #312 2,691 17,781
MX 0 #326 88 8,339
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
GT 0 #334 5 5,948
BO 0 #341 41 6,868
QA Girls 0 #341 3 15,378
CZ Girls 0 #351 1 5,378
Finland Girls 0 #352 40 1,368
PA Girls 0 #354 132 9,861
PE Girls 0 #354 1,092 14,861
PL Girls 0 #356 9 5,096
CN Girls 0 #358 2 8,829
BR 0 #359 2 5,969
MU Girls 0 #361 2 8,539
BO Girls 0 #380 252 9,488
France Girls 2021 #395 11 3,185
Spain 0 #399 54 2,326
CL 0 #402 10 6,867
UY Boys 0 #408 6 5,922
Spain Girls 0 #410 862 5,561
Austria Girls 0 #411 10 1,885
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
Germany 0 #423 15 2,542
OM Girls 0 #424 1 15,987
PH Girls 0 #427 3 13,098
AR Boys 0 #446 22 7,628
RU Girls 0 #447 52 11,913
PT Girls 0 #463 9 7,952
CO 0 #465 16 7,768
CR Girls 0 #471 62 11,342
GT Girls 0 #473 33 7,500
ZA 0 #473 2 14,421
PA Boys 0 #503 3 9,305
CR Boys 0 #510 1 10,188
IQ Girls 0 #522 4 11,303
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
PS Girls 0 #541 7 10,981
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
KW Girls 0 #558 4 19,177
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
AE Girls 0 #592 6 20,968
IL Girls 0 #600 18 11,648
Finland Girls 2026 #616 128 3,895
BO Boys 0 #619 4 9,244
SG Girls 0 #629 4 18,916
HK Girls 0 #650 1 16,104
CL Girls 0 #666 187 14,098
LB 0 #687 4 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
CL Boys 0 #700 1 13,390
IT 0 #702 13 4,183
CO Girls 0 #716 408 16,140
SY 0 #763 5 11,684
Germany Girls 0 #774 65 4,949
NG Girls 0 #824 3 15,093
United States Girls 2024 #844 73 8,487
BR Girls 0 #851 91 12,708
PE Boys 0 #869 10 14,506
NL Girls 0 #934 22 5,933
MX Boys 0 #946 37 16,355
CO Boys 0 #976 6 15,656
EG Girls 0 #1,006 4 14,742
SA Girls 0 #1,006 9 25,931
MY Girls 0 #1,070 3 24,821
ZA Girls 0 #1,127 15 25,928
MA 0 #1,199 1 20,986
IT Girls 0 #1,240 207 9,415
TR 0 #1,252 3 19,440
ZA Boys 0 #1,271 2 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,461 11 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,689 3 28,008

Malena is popular in 66 countries — most recent births per country:

Norway
France
Switzerland
United States
Canada

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People also ask about Malena

Malena is predominantly a girl's name.
Malena is a 3 syllable name, pronounced /maˈle.na/ (Spanish: ma-LEH-na),/məˈleɪnə/ (English: muh-LAY-nuh).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Maléna, Málena, Malenna, Mallena and Malina.
Yes, very popular — Malena ranked #1 in Germany in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Malena ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2025).
Malena's popularity is rising. It moved from #126 in 2014 to #117 in 2024 in Norway.
Yes — 1 notable people named Malena are in our database, including Malena Ernman (Musician).