Fun Facts About the Name Malina
- More than 4 thousand babies named Malina: U.S. records list 4,450 babies given the name Malina from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Malina Mean?
Malina is most commonly explained as a Slavic name meaning "raspberry," from the Common Slavic word *malina, the everyday term for the fruit. Cognates appear throughout the Slavic languages, including Russian малина, Polish malina, Czech and Slovak malina, and Serbo-Croatian malina (малина). The personal name was formed directly from this word rather than from an older personal name. The deeper origin of *malina is uncertain; one suggestion connects it to a root meaning "small," as in Polish mały, referring to the berry's small drupelets, but this is not firmly established.
A second, unrelated use comes from Inuit tradition, where Malina is the woman who becomes the sun in the widely told story of the sun and moon. In that setting the name belongs to a mythological figure rather than to a word with a translatable meaning. The Greek name Melina, which derives from meli, "honey," is a separate name that only happens to sound similar.
Malina Name History & Origins
In central and eastern Europe, the word for raspberry has served as a given name in several languages. Malina is used as a feminine name in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bulgaria, and it also appears as a surname in the region; in Czech, for example, the masculine surname Malina has the feminine form Malinová. The Hungarian word for raspberry, málna, is similar in form, and Malina is found as a given name in Hungary as well.
In Inuit tradition, Malina is the woman who becomes the sun. In the best-known form of the story, she is pursued by her brother - called Anningan or Aningaaq in many versions - and escapes into the sky, where she becomes the sun while he becomes the moon. The moon's endless pursuit of the sun is used to explain why the moon changes shape. Variants of the story are told across Greenland, Arctic Canada, and Alaska, and Malina is used as a personal name in Greenland and in Inuit communities.
Malina is also found in German-speaking Europe as a given name. Name references sometimes describe it there as a pet form of names such as Amalia or Magdalena, though that derivation is not settled and the Slavic fruit name is a competing influence. The name is the title of Ingeborg Bachmann's 1971 novel Malina, a well-known literary use that comes long after the word and the given name were already established in Slavic speech.
How Popular is the Name Malina?
Malina 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 2009. Its best rank was #1,400 in 2009.
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 | #2,167 | 86 | 0.0054% |
| 2024 | #2,221 | 85 | 0.0053% |
| 2023 | #2,167 | 88 | 0.0055% |
| 2022 | #2,116 | 91 | 0.0056% |
| 2021 | #1,868 | 107 | 0.0065% |
| 2020 | #1,953 | 98 | 0.0061% |
| 2019 | #2,006 | 96 | 0.0057% |
| 2018 | #1,644 | 129 | 0.0076% |
| 2017 | #1,622 | 134 | 0.0078% |
| 2016 | #1,576 | 141 | 0.0080% |
| 2015 | #1,543 | 144 | 0.0081% |
| 2014 | #1,599 | 135 | 0.0076% |
| 2013 | #1,484 | 150 | 0.0085% |
| 2012 | #1,521 | 146 | 0.0083% |
| 2011 | #1,717 | 121 | 0.0069% |
| 2010 | #1,486 | 152 | 0.0086% |
| 2009 | #1,400 | 169 | 0.0092% |
| 2008 | #1,614 | 141 | 0.0075% |
| 2007 | #1,764 | 122 | 0.0063% |
| 2006 | #1,571 | 138 | 0.0073% |
| 2005 | #1,753 | 113 | 0.0061% |
| 2004 | #1,588 | 124 | 0.0068% |
| 2003 | #1,908 | 96 | 0.0053% |
| 2002 | #1,860 | 96 | 0.0053% |
| 2001 | #1,679 | 108 | 0.0060% |
| 2000 | #1,752 | 100 | 0.0055% |
| 1999 | #1,867 | 85 | 0.0048% |
| 1998 | #2,096 | 70 | 0.0040% |
| 1997 | #2,610 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 1996 | #2,199 | 62 | 0.0035% |
| 1995 | #2,205 | 61 | 0.0035% |
| 1994 | #2,369 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 1993 | #2,041 | 68 | 0.0038% |
| 1992 | #2,560 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 1991 | #2,608 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 1990 | #2,934 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 1989 | #3,227 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1988 | #3,975 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1987 | #2,949 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1986 | #3,420 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1985 | #2,735 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1984 | #2,760 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 1983 | #2,460 | 38 | 0.0023% |
| 1982 | #2,931 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 1981 | #3,200 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 1980 | #3,041 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 1979 | #2,416 | 39 | 0.0024% |
| 1978 | #2,410 | 37 | 0.0024% |
| 1977 | #2,179 | 43 | 0.0028% |
| 1976 | #2,195 | 39 | 0.0027% |
| 1975 | #2,390 | 34 | 0.0023% |
| 1974 | #2,967 | 24 | 0.0016% |
| 1973 | #2,042 | 40 | 0.0027% |
| 1972 | #3,237 | 20 | 0.0013% |
| 1971 | #3,116 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1970 | #2,674 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1969 | #3,404 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1968 | #4,661 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1967 | #2,605 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1966 | #6,262 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #7,137 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #5,807 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #7,169 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #6,288 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #4,647 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #5,976 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #6,679 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1955 | #5,016 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #6,270 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #6,200 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1920 | #4,734 | 6 | 0.0005% |
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.
Explore More Lists with Name Malina
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with M
How the Name Malina 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.
✦ Malina's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Malina's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.