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muh-LAY-ah
Malaya
OriginFilipino
Meaning"free"
GenderGirl
US Rank#775
Top 1000
About Malaya
Deriving from the same East Asian root as Malaysia and Malay, Malaya is a name that recalls the more popular Maya and the name of 2014 Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai. It first appeared in the US Top 1000 in 2006.
Pronounced muh-LAY-ah.
As of October 2026, Malaya ranked #775 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #633 in 2013.
Editor's take: The name Malaya is a girl's name of Filipino origin meaning "free".
Popularity & trends
US popularity — history
US rank, lower is more popular · SSA data 2014–2025
Actual · SSA
20142025
18802025
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #638 | 449 | 251.3 |
| 2015 | #726 | 391 | 219 |
| 2016 | #666 | 442 | 249.4 |
| 2017 | #702 | 413 | 239.2 |
| 2018 | #736 | 379 | 222.8 |
| 2019 | #671 | 432 | 257.4 |
| 2020 | #668 | 428 | 264.8 |
| 2021 | #668 | 445 | 271.2 |
| 2022 | #711 | 415 | 253 |
| 2023 | #852 | 315 | 196.3 |
| 2024 | #813 | 341 | 210.5 |
| 2025 | #775 | 351 | 218.4 |
World rankings
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Malaya in pop culture
- Malaya Pineda
a character from "Code Black" played by Melanie Chandra
Save Malaya
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