| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapaly | Unattested as a standard name; may relate to Malay/Indonesian 'kapal' (ship), Sanskrit 'kapāla' (skull/forehead), Hawaiian 'kapali' (cliff), or be an invented name | Hawaiian, Hindu, Indonesian, Malay, Sanskrit, Tagalog | Unisex | — | |
| Kawah | Crater (volcanic crater) | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Kini | Varies by language - in Hawaiian 'many, multitude'; in Indonesian/Malay 'now'; also found as an Indian surname. | Hawaiian, Indian, Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Kurangi | Monkey (Tamil); 'reduce' or 'lessen' as an imperative verb form in Malay/Indonesian | Indonesian, Malay, Tamil | Girl | — | |
| Kwee | Romanization of various Chinese surnames; exact meaning depends on the underlying Chinese character - commonly 郭 (Guō) meaning 'outer city/wall' or 桂 (Guì) meaning 'osmanthus'. | Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Labis | Abundance; excess; 'more than enough' (in everyday usage can mean 'excessive') | Malay, Tagalog | Unisex | — | |
| Lahir | Malay/Indonesian: 'born'; Sanskrit root (from 'lahari'): 'wave, ripple'; occasionally linked to Arabic 'zahir' meaning 'manifest, apparent'. | Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Sanskrit | Boy | — | |
| Laili | From Arabic 'layl' meaning 'night' - often interpreted as 'night', 'of the night', or 'dark beauty'. | Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Persian | Girl | — | |
| Laki | In Samoan often interpreted as 'lucky'; in Indonesian/Malay it means 'male' or 'man'; also used as a short form/nickname in some Slavic/Greek contexts. | Indonesian, Malay, Samoan, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Lamun | From Malay/Indonesian 'lamun' meaning 'to daydream' or 'to ponder'; also used for 'seagrass' in ecological contexts. | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| 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 | — | |
| Limbah | Waste; refuse; garbage | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Madu | Honey; sweet; pleasant/intoxicating (from Sanskrit 'Madhu' meaning honey) | Indonesian, Malay, Sanskrit, Tamil | Unisex | — | |
| Mahathir | Greatly wise | Malay, Sanskrit | Boy | — | |
| Mahfooz | Protected; preserved; safeguarded | Arabic, Bengali, Indonesian, Malay, Persian, Turkish | Boy | — | |
| Mahogoni | Mahogany - the reddish-brown hardwood/tree (symbolic of strength, warmth, resilience) | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| 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 | — | |
| Merpati | Dove; pigeon - symbolizing peace, love, and gentleness. | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Murnah | Likely 'pure' or 'innocent' (derived from Indonesian murni); alternative/nuanced senses possible if from Arabic | Malay | Girl | — | |
| Musim | Season | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Muthia | Pearl (precious gem) | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Muti | Southern African: 'medicine' or 'healing'; Indonesian: shortened from Mutiara/Mutia meaning 'pearl' | Malay | Unisex | — | |
| 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 | — | |
| Nurdin | Light of the faith | Albanian, Arabic, Bosnian, Malay, Somali, Turkish | Boy | — | |
| Nusa | Island (Indonesian); diminutive of Neža/Agnes - 'pure, chaste' (Slovene) | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Orang | Person; people; human | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Papan | In Indonesian/Malay: 'board, plank, sign'. In Sanskrit-derived usage it is etymologically related to 'pāpa' (sin) and is rare as a name with that sense. | Indonesian, Malay, Sanskrit | Boy | — | |
| Petai | Name of the Parkia speciosa tree/bean, commonly called 'petai' or 'stink bean' - a pungent, edible bean | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Pilah | To choose; to sort; to separate | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Puan | Madam; lady - a respectful title for a woman | Indonesian, Malay | Girl | — | |
| Puji | Praise; to praise | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Radzi | Likely 'content, satisfied' (from Arabic راضي) or 'of/from Ray' (Persian nisba) | Indonesian, Malay | Boy | — | |
| Rahmadi | Derived from Arabic rahma ('mercy, compassion'); roughly 'one who is merciful' or 'given mercy'. | Indonesian, Malay | Boy | — | |
| Ramlee | Derived from Arabic raml 'sand' - 'sandy' or 'of the sand'; used as a Malay male given name/surname. | Malay | Boy | — | |
| Reihan | Basil; sweet-smelling plant; fragrance, scent | Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Persian, Turkish | Unisex | — | |
| Rezky | Sustenance, provision; blessed with good fortune | Indonesian, Malay | Boy | — | |
| Ridho | Contentment, satisfaction, approval (often understood as God's pleasure) | Malay | Boy | — | |
| Rindu | Longing, yearning; to miss someone | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — | |
| Rizky | Provision, sustenance; blessing or good fortune | Indonesian, Malay | Boy | — | |
| Rubah | Fox; connotations of cleverness, cunning and adaptability | Indonesian, Malay | Unisex | — |
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Malay-origin name in our dataset.
