Maliyah
Meaning
modern elaboration of Malia, Hawaiian form of Mary
The story
Maliyah is a spelling of Malia, Hawaii's form of Mary, with the ending written out long, and the reference books file it as a variant of Malia. Malia itself runs at about 31,600 girls in our records with its own story. Maliyah's record is young: about 316 in the 1990s, 3,700 in the 2000s, 7,900 in the 2010s, and 3,400 so far this decade, girls without one recorded boy, about 15,400 of them all told in the published record so far. The longer spelling adds a syllable's worth of ink and keeps the sound the reference books give it: an island classic simply written a second way, and the record carrying both spellings comfortably side by side, decade after decade.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Maliyah peaked in the 2010s.
When you meet Maliyah
Most people given the name Maliyah in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Maliyah deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Maliyah truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Maliyah fits with your family’s names and surname.
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