girl's name
Malena
- Origin Norse
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 5,252
Ireland
#917
2007 births
Malena is a girl's name with 3 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 81 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Malena is a name of Norse origin.
- Peaked in 2004, when 146 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 40,932 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1886.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Malena over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 6 |
| 1920s | 6 |
| 1930s | 11 |
| 1950s | 45 |
| 1960s | 111 |
| 1970s | 462 |
| 1980s | 288 |
| 1990s | 483 |
| 2000s | 1,234 |
| 2010s | 976 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 436 |
How popular is Malena?
In 2025, Malena was given to 81 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Malena is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Malena is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Maléna | Maléna is a rare spelling of Malena, written with an acute accent and recorded about 155 times, mostly in France. | 155 |
| Malèna | Malèna is a rare spelling of Malena, written with a grave accent and recorded about 15 times, mostly in France. | 15 |
Names that peaked alongside Malena
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Malena also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Malena over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Malena in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Malena
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Malena — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Malena
How popular is the name Malena?
In 2025, Malena was given to 81 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Malena a girl's or a boy's name?
Malena is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Malena?
Malena has 3 syllables.
When was Malena most popular?
Malena peaked in 2004, when 146 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Malena a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Malena currently ranks #2,259 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.