Malay Girl Names
Malay female names draw from the Malay language with strong Arabic influence due to Islam, alongside some older Sanskrit layers. A key feminine marker is the use of Siti as a female honorific at the start of compound names. Arabic-derived feminine forms commonly end in -ah or -iah, and prefixes such as Nur/Nor are frequent in girls’ compounds. Like male names, female given names are often two-part compounds, but Siti and certain endings are specifically feminine.
Modern usage favors Arabic–Malay blends and descriptive Malay words for beauty or nature. Examples include Siti, Norashikin, Noriza, Syairah, Syirah, Laili, Bunga, Indah, Jelita, and Seri.
Showing 43
of 43 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karisma | Charm, divine favor; (also) 'miracle' or 'wonder' when linked to Karishma | Greek, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Sanskrit | Girl | 391 #1 | |
| Sari | Most often a diminutive of Sarah meaning 'princess'; in Indonesian/Malay 'essence' or 'core'; in Arabic (Saari) 'night-traveler' or 'moving swiftly'; in Japanese the meaning varies by kanji. | Arabic, Finnish, Hebrew, Indonesian, Japanese, Malay | Girl | 187 #2 | |
| Seri | Varies by origin: in Korean meanings depend on chosen hanja; from Sanskrit (śrī) via Malay/Thai it means 'fortune', 'prosperity' or 'glory'; in Japanese it's the name of a water herb (seri); in Turkish it can mean 'rapid'. | Japanese, Korean, Malay, Sanskrit, Scandinavian, Thai, Turkish | Girl | 40 #3 | |
| Dini | Indonesian/Malay: 'dini' = early, dawn; Arabic: derived from dīn = religion/faith, implying 'religious' or 'of the faith'. | Arabic, Indonesian, Italian, Malay | Girl | 11 #4 | |
| Setti | Lady, my lady; honorable woman | Arabic, Indonesian, Italian, Malay | Girl | 3 #5 | |
| Ainaa | Generally treated as a variant of Aina: in Arabic/Malay contexts associated with 'eye' or 'beautiful eyes'; in Finnish Aina means 'always'; in Swahili 'type/kind'. | Arabic, Finnish, Indonesian, Malay, Swahili | Girl | — | |
| Anggun | Graceful, elegant | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Bisa | Varies by origin: in Akan/Twi, 'bisa' = 'to ask, request'; in Indonesian/Malay, 'bisa' = 'can, able' (note: in Indonesian the word can also mean 'poison' in other contexts); in South Slavic contexts 'Bisa' is used as a short form of Bisera, which means 'pearl'. | Akan, Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Bunga | Flower, blossom | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Cerah | Bright, clear, sunny | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Cerita | Story, tale, narrative | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Chahaya | Light; brightness; ray of light | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Cinta | Love (Indonesian/Malay); ribbon/tape (Spanish) | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Inai | Henna (the dye used for ceremonial body art); when linked to Inaya, associated with 'care' or 'concern' | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Indah | Beautiful, lovely | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Inul | Not well-attested as an independent lexical name; typically a diminutive or nickname with no widely recognized standalone meaning | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Jelita | Beautiful; pretty | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Kurangi | Monkey (Tamil); 'reduce' or 'lessen' as an imperative verb form in Malay/Indonesian | Indonesian, Malay, Tamil | Girl | — | |
| Laili | From Arabic 'layl' meaning 'night' - often interpreted as 'night', 'of the night', or 'dark beauty'. | Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Persian | Girl | — | |
| Larindah | A modern elaboration suggesting beauty or grace; often interpreted as 'beautiful' (related to Linda/Indah). | Malay | Girl | — | |
| Lidah | In Indonesian/Malay: 'tongue'. As a given name, often treated as a variant of Lida/Lydia, meaning 'from Lydia'. | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Limah | Varies by origin; often treated as a feminine name meaning gentle/soft or as a regional/phonetic variant of Lima/Limaa. Exact meaning is uncertain and culture-dependent. | Arabic, Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Mahsuri | Often interpreted as 'moon-like beauty' or 'beautiful like the moon'; linked to the legendary heroine Mahsuri | Malay | Girl | — | |
| Mata | Varies by origin - 'mother' (Sanskrit), 'eye' or 'face' (Malay/Indonesian/Māori), or a place/vegetation term (Spanish/Portuguese surname) | Croatian, Indonesian, Malay, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Spanish | Girl | — | |
| Maulia | Noble, honorable | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Mauliah | Noble, honorable, exalted | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Merindah | Derived from Indonesian 'indah' meaning 'beautiful' - generally interpreted as 'beautiful' or 'very beautiful' (likely) | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Murnah | Likely 'pure' or 'innocent' (derived from Indonesian murni); alternative/nuanced senses possible if from Arabic | Malay | Girl | — | |
| Muthia | Pearl (precious gem) | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Mutia | Pearl | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Mutiah | Pearl; precious, jewel-like | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Nipa | In Thai often 'splendid' or 'beautiful'; in Malay/Filipino refers to the nipa palm (a mangrove/coastal palm). | Filipino, Indian, Malay, Sanskrit, Thai | Girl | — | |
| Norashikin | Generally interpreted as 'light' or 'illuminated' (from Arabic 'Nur' meaning 'light'); the second element is a personal/familial element whose exact meaning is variable. | Malay | Girl | — | |
| Noriza | From Nor/Nur 'light' combined with '-iza' (honor/exalted) - roughly 'radiant' or 'honored light'. | Malay | Girl | — | |
| Nusa | Island (Indonesian); diminutive of Neža/Agnes - 'pure, chaste' (Slovene) | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Puan | Madam; lady - a respectful title for a woman | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Rukiah | Little charm | Arabic, Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Sarjana | Creator; creation. In Indonesian, 'Sarjana' also means a graduate or holder of a bachelor's degree. | Malay, Sanskrit | Girl | — | |
| Selama | Peace; safety; well-being | Amharic, Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Tigrinya | Girl | — | |
| Siti | Lady; honorific for a respected woman. | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Syairah | Poetess; related to poetry (from Malay 'syair' or Arabic شاعرة sha'ira 'female poet') | Arabic, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Syirah | Uncertain - likely a Malay/Indonesian spelling of an Arabic female name. Associated senses include 'traveler' (from Saira), 'poetess' (from Shaira), or related to Arabic sīrah ('life/biography'); exact meaning depends on origin/intent. | Arabic, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Zaleha | Virtuous, pious; morally good or righteous | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — |
Malay Girls name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Malay-origin name in our dataset.
43
Names in this origin
3
With data in 2024
55
Births 2024
379
Peak year 0