How Many People Are Named Malia?
An estimated 30,063 people in the United States have the first name Malia. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 18 years old, and Malia peaked in popularity in 2009 with 1,700 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Malia 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 Malia paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Malia is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 18, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
30,063
About 1 in 11,401 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
100.0% confidence
Average Age
18
years old
Peak Year
2009
1,700 births
Total Registered
30,729
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Malia
Malia is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 30,729 total births registered, 100.0% were female.
Malia as a female name
Ranked #326 in 2024
946 female births in 2024
Peak: 2009 (1,700 births)
Malia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 23,945 people with the first name Malia, which placed it at #1,424 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, Malia was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 23,945 people with this name in that snapshot, 0.2% were male and 99.8% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 100.0% of the time.
Census Count
23,945
people with this name
Census Rank
#1,424
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
7.93
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Malia was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (30.27%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (23.49%) and Hispanic (18.47%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Malia 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 Malia.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 30.27% | 7,249 |
| Black | 23.49% | 5,624 |
| Hispanic | 18.47% | 4,422 |
| Two or More Races | 18.06% | 4,325 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 8.61% | 2,062 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.10% | 263 |
Malia: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Malia span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 10 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 11,138 babies were registered. While Malia is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Malia by Decade
How has Malia 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.
Malia by State
Birth registrations for Malia span all 49 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Hawaii, Florida. The lowest are in New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island. On average, about 576 Malias were registered per state.
Malia + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Malia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Malia
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Malia: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malia?
We estimate approximately 30,063 people named Malia 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 11,401 Americans share this first name.
Is Malia a common name?
Malia is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 30,729 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Malia most popular?
Malia reached peak popularity in 2009, when 1,700 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Malia is approximately 18 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Malia in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 23,945 people with the first name Malia. That placed it at #1,424 in the published Census first-name tables, or 7.93 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 Malia 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 Malia?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Malia was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 0.2% male and 99.8% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Malia?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Malia was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (30.27%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (23.49%) and Hispanic (18.47%). 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 Malia a female name?
Malia is predominantly female. 100.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Malia 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. Malia peaked in 2009, and the average living bearer is about 18 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Malia Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Malia Smith, Malia Johnson, Malia 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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