Maliyah

Maliyah - A very unique female name

Maliyah appeared on the charts for the first time in 1995 on position #4532. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Maliyah and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Maliyah? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Maliyah. The baby girl name Maliyah was given to 438 baby girls in 2025, ranking #615 on the national girl baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 2,976 baby girls were given this name - making this a very unique female name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Maliyah peaked in popularity 17 years ago in 2009 on position 296.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Maliyah, 1-5?

Maliyah is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Maliyah is currently topping the baby name charts in New Mexico at position #238 - and is the least popular in Indiana at position #998.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Maliyah is where you live.

---

Comment and discuss

---

Maliyah origin and meaning

Modern invented (American), built on Malia

None — this is a new name, created in our own time

Maliyah is a modern elaboration of Malia — itself the Hawaiian form of Maria — extended with the popular -iyah ending heard in names like Aaliyah. It arrived in 1995, peaked in 2009 and has been easing since. The -iyah tail is a sound fashion, not a documented suffix, so no older meaning can honestly be claimed for the whole name.

Origin uncertain

Maliyah is a 7 letter name with 3 syllables.

To see famous people named Maliyah, pop culture references for the name Maliyah and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Maliyah

We've found the following names that sound similar to Maliyah, sorted by popularity.

Molly / Mila / Millie / Mollie / Malia / Myla / Miley / Manuela / Maleah / Malaya /

---

Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Maliyah

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Maliyah a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique female name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Maliyah?

3 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

---

Pronunciation

mah-LEE-yah · /məˈliːjə/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Malia — The simpler name it is built on.
• Maleah — A respelled variant of the same elaboration.

Nicknames: MaliLia

Famous bearers

None yet — the name first appears in the data in 1995, and its oldest bearers are still young.

Style

Modern coinage

Why parents choose it

Parents chose Maliyah for its lyrical, rolling sound — Malia with extra music at the end.

Worth knowing

• It is easily confused with Malia, Aaliyah and Amaya, and has been falling since its 2009 peak.