Malia

mah-LEE-ah

Hawaiian variation of Mary

"bitter"

Malia Origin and Meaning

The name Malia is a girl's name of Hawaiian origin meaning "bitter".

Malia rose up the charts back in 2009 when it was brought into the spotlight as the name of the Obama's eldest daughter. It leapt into the US Top 200, and while it hasn't reached that level of popularity again, it now sees steady usage, and is given to around 1100 girls every year.

Lilting but grounded too, Malia is the Hawaiian variant of Mary or Maria. Meaning "bitter", "beloved" or "wished for" depending on which translation theory you follow, it could work as a fresh way to honor a Grandma Mary.

Malia Obama was named to honor her father's childhood home state of Hawaii, but Malia also has ties to Ancient Greece. The name of several towns across Crete, Greece, and Cyprus, it is said to have meant "hair" or "sheep".

Malia might also be used as a diminutive of international Amalia, meaning "vigorous and brave", which, all in all, makes it a versatile name choice.

Popular in France and Switzerland, Malia is also climbing the charts in the UK, and now has a number of spelling variations such as Maleah, Maliyah and Mahlia.

Malia Rank in US Top 1000

# 326 in the US

Malia Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 762 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Malia

• 326 US 2024
• 762 Nameberry 2025
• 228 Future 2028
• 436 England 2023
• 16 Germany 2024
• 48 Switzerland 2023

20 Names Similar to Malia

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Malia.

• Laila
• Kyra
• Briella
• Arielle
• Reyna
• Kiera
• Kira
• Gianna
• Alaina
• Rayna
• Aliyah
• Lia
• Alayna
• Alana
• Ariella
• Elianna
• Raina
• Kara
• Aaliyah
• Kaya

Famous People Named Malia

• Malia Ann Obama daughter of former U.S. president Barack Obama
• Malia Jones American model and surfer
• Malia Hosaka American pro wrestler
• Malia Scotch Marmo American screenwriter
• Malia Metella French Olympic swimmer
• Lee Malia guitarist of British metalcore band Bring Me the Horizon

The name Malia in Pop Culture

• Malia Tate character on TV's "Teen Wolf"
• Malia Clark character in Kristen Ashley's Rock Chick series
• Malia Fitzpatrick character in the 2012 movie "Won't Back Down"