Fun Facts About the Name Malan
- 213 babies named Malan: U.S. records list 213 babies given the name Malan from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Malan - about 1 boy for every 42 girls.
What Does the Name Malan Mean?
Malan comes from more than one independent source, and the forms that look alike are not related to one another. Its best-documented use is as a French surname, and the origin of that surname is not securely established; no single derivation is agreed on.
As a personal name, Malan is found in South Asia. In Hindi, मालन (mālan) is the feminine of माली (mālī), "gardener," and means a woman who grows flowers or makes and sells garlands; it is also used as a woman's name. In Tamil, மாலன் (mālaṉ) is built from மால் (māl), "greatness," and serves as a name and as an epithet of the god Vishnu.
The romanized Chinese name 马兰 (Mǎ Lán) is unrelated to both. There 马 (mǎ), "horse," is a surname and 兰 (lán), "orchid," is the given name, so the two characters together form a full name rather than a single given name.
Malan Name History & Origins
The best-documented history of the name belongs to the French Protestant family Malan. After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 removed legal protection for Protestant worship in France, Huguenots left the country in large numbers. Members of the Malan family went first to the Netherlands and then, in the late 1680s, to the Dutch Cape Colony at the Cape of Good Hope, where the Dutch East India Company was settling European colonists. The family remained in southern Africa, and several descendants became public figures; Daniël François Malan served as Prime Minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954, and Magnus Malan later commanded the South African Defence Force and served as Minister of Defence.
Malan as a personal name belongs mainly to South Asia. The Hindi occupational word मालन (mālan) has also been used as a woman's name, and the Tamil மாலன் (mālaṉ) is a masculine name taken from a word for greatness. The Chinese 马兰 is a different kind of name again, a surname plus a single-character given name that is spelled the same way in English.
How Popular is the Name Malan?
Malan has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2012. Its best rank was #7,340 in 2012.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,544 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #9,956 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #12,949 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #8,333 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #12,990 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #10,002 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #12,022 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #13,307 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #12,337 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #10,573 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #9,909 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #9,932 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #12,724 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #7,340 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2011 | #10,159 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #10,942 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #19,109 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #14,803 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #12,289 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #16,367 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #18,156 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #17,368 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #13,746 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #9,798 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | #10,662 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Malan Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Malan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Malan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.