Discover and Shortlist Your Perfect Baby Names!

Malia as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Malia

Add to my Name List

The baby name Malia is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced mə-LEE-ə (muh-LEE-ə); also commonly pronounced mah-LEE-ə.

Malia is Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Latin in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Latin
Pronunciation: mə-LEE-ə (muh-LEE-ə); also commonly pronounced mah-LEE-ə

What is the meaning of the name Malia ?

The baby name Malia is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced mə-LEE-ə (muh-LEE-ə); also commonly pronounced mah-LEE-ə.

Malia is Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Latin in Origin.

Malia is the Hawaiian form of Mary, rendered as Mālia in Hawaiian orthography (mah-LEE-ah). It descends from Hebrew Miryam via Greek/Latin Maria; the exact meaning is debated, with proposals including "beloved," "wished-for child," and "bitter/sea of bitterness." In Hawaiian it is a phonological adaptation rather than a native lexical word, distinct from similar Melia ("plumeria") though sometimes conflated.

Documented in 19th-century Hawaiian church and mission records, Malia aligns biblical naming with local sound patterns, and later gained broad U.S. visibility, notably after Malia Obama (born 1998). Variants and spellings include Mālia, Maleah, Maliah, Maliyah, Malayah, and Malea; related forms are Mary, Maria, Mariah, Mariam/Maryam. It can also function as a short form of Amelia, Emilia, or Amalia. Nicknames: Lia, Mali.

Malia has the following similar or variant Names

Malia – 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 2025 #1 874
DJ Girls 0 #29 1 488
Switzerland Girls 2024 #34 137 1,786
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
AF Girls 0 #94 1 2,402
ID Girls 0 #102 1 3,319
QA 0 #106 1 7,011
BN Girls 0 #110 5 5,459
GR 0 #134 2 3,911
Belgium Girls 2024 #137 49 424
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
BW Girls 0 #151 1 4,216
MT Girls 0 #152 2 3,773
France Girls 2021 #166 315 3,185
PR Girls 0 #167 1 3,171
Sweden Girls 2022 #176 4 1,568
LU Girls 0 #189 2 4,850
Canada Girls 2024 #193 94 2,795
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
NA Girls 0 #234 4 7,146
GH 0 #247 2 5,396
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
JM Girls 0 #271 8 7,507
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
TW Girls 0 #285 5 8,139
United States Girls 2024 #289 946 8,487
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
SA 0 #310 3 10,560
MY 0 #320 11 12,352
DK Girls 0 #328 2 7,429
KZ Girls 0 #329 4 5,862
GH Girls 0 #334 4 6,973
JO Girls 0 #337 3 7,570
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
QA Girls 0 #339 5 15,378
CZ Girls 0 #351 1 5,378
SD Girls 0 #355 4 7,678
BR 0 #359 2 5,969
CN Girls 0 #359 1 8,829
MU Girls 0 #361 2 8,539
PL Girls 0 #363 2 5,096
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
PH Girls 0 #373 18 13,098
PT Boys 0 #381 1 7,951
OM Girls 0 #387 10 15,987
BD Girls 0 #400 7 8,413
SD Boys 0 #466 1 10,523
RU Girls 0 #470 29 11,913
PT Girls 0 #471 1 7,952
KW Girls 0 #486 30 19,177
CO 0 #509 2 7,768
PA Girls 0 #513 6 9,861
IQ Girls 0 #525 1 11,303
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
UY Girls 0 #533 4 6,731
GT Girls 0 #536 6 7,500
AE Girls 0 #540 14 20,968
IR Girls 0 #544 2 8,334
PS Girls 0 #545 3 10,981
CM Girls 0 #552 9 11,671
CR Girls 0 #566 8 11,342
SG Girls 0 #569 18 18,916
CM Boys 0 #573 3 12,054
BH 0 #581 7 17,937
BO Boys 0 #621 2 9,244
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
IL Girls 0 #641 5 11,648
HK Girls 0 #649 2 16,104
BO Girls 0 #651 1 9,488
LB 0 #690 1 13,263
Finland Girls 2026 #712 27 3,895
QA Boys 0 #742 2 18,093
NG Girls 0 #755 32 15,093
SY 0 #767 1 11,684
KW Boys 0 #805 2 18,755
Germany Girls 0 #820 19 4,949
CL Girls 0 #829 23 14,098
MY Girls 0 #850 145 24,821
TN 0 #863 3 13,765
SA Girls 0 #887 49 25,931
OM Boys 0 #913 6 17,948
EG Boys 0 #924 2 15,035
BR Girls 0 #926 16 12,708
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
PE Girls 0 #929 15 14,861
NL Girls 0 #946 10 5,933
EG Girls 0 #949 11 14,742
Spain Girls 0 #967 17 5,561
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
NG Boys 0 #1,000 2 16,906
DZ 0 #1,006 171 20,130
MX Boys 0 #1,032 2 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,038 2 16,750
CO Girls 0 #1,048 31 16,140
MA 0 #1,114 15 20,986
ZA Girls 0 #1,114 28 25,928
AE Boys 0 #1,141 3 22,615
MX Girls 0 #1,151 33 17,781
ZA Boys 0 #1,166 13 25,619
MY Boys 0 #1,179 4 25,439
TR 0 #1,197 15 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,377 70 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,686 6 28,008

Malia is popular in 74 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
United States
Switzerland
Wallonia, Belgium

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Malia

Malia is predominantly a girl's name.
Malia is a 3 syllable name, pronounced mə-LEE-ə (muh-LEE-ə); also commonly pronounced mah-LEE-ə.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Maliah, Maliya, Maleah, Malie, Mallia and Mali.
Yes, very popular — Malia ranked #1 in Germany in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Malia ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2025).
Malia's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #326 in 2011 to #166 in 2021 in France.