Malalai

Pashto

"sad, grieved"

Malalai Origin and Meaning

The name Malalai is a girl's name meaning "sad, grieved".

A beautiful girl name with a melodic sound, Malalai is best known for Malalai of Maiwand, a woman who is considered a national folk hero in Afghanistan. She was a 19th-century freedom fighter, credited for the Afghan victory in the 1880 Battle of Maiwand. The well-known Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was named after her, with Malala being a more modern variant of Malalai. Another significant namesake is Afghan activist Malalai Joya.