How Many People Are Named Malai?
An estimated 194 people in the United States have the first name Malai. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 12 years old, and Malai peaked in popularity in 2020 with 17 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Malai as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Malai paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
194
About 1 in 1,766,775 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
100.0% confidence
Average Age
12
years old
Peak Year
2020
17 births
Total Registered
196
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Malai
Malai is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 196 total births registered, 100.0% were female.
Malai as a female name
Ranked #9,955 in 2024
10 female births in 2024
Peak: 2020 (17 births)
Malai in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 288 people with the first name Malai, which placed it at #30,312 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Malai was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 288 people with this name in that snapshot, 7.3% were male and 92.7% were female. That is less heavily female than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 100.0% female.
Census Count
288
people with this name
Census Rank
#30,312
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.10
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Malai was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (41.22%). The next largest recorded groups were Asian and Pacific Islander (38.71%) and Two or More Races (7.89%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Malai in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Malai.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Black | 41.22% | 115 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 38.71% | 108 |
| Two or More Races | 7.89% | 22 |
| White | 6.45% | 18 |
| Hispanic | 5.73% | 16 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Malai: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Malai span from the 2000s to the 2020s, covering 3 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 82 babies were registered. While Malai is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Malai by Decade
How has Malai tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Malai by State
Malai + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Malai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Malai
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Malai: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malai?
We estimate approximately 194 people named Malai are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,766,775 Americans share this first name.
Is Malai a common name?
Malai is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 73.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 196 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Malai most popular?
Malai reached peak popularity in 2020, when 17 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Malai is approximately 12 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Malai in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 288 people with the first name Malai. That placed it at #30,312 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.10 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Malai was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Malai?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Malai was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 7.3% male and 92.7% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Malai?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Malai was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (41.22%). The next largest recorded groups were Asian and Pacific Islander (38.71%) and Two or More Races (7.89%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Malai a female name?
Malai is predominantly female. 100.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Malai have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Malai peaked in 2020, and the average living bearer is about 12 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Malai Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Malai Smith, Malai Johnson, Malai Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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