Total births
343
Boys' name · since 1880
Mal
343 babies named Mal in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1950. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #10949
- among boys today
- 343
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other boys
343 babies have been named Mal since 1880, making it today's #10949 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Mal recorded 343 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #10949 nationally today, ahead of 23% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #10949 among boys today
- 343 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 23% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Mal is currently the #10949 boys' name in America, more common than 23% of boys - 343 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #10949
- among boys today
- 343
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other boys
Mal vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#10949
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 23% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Mal was born in this single decade.
1950
Single peak year
13 babies were named Mal in 1950 - its busiest year on record.
How Mal compares
343 49th percentile among 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Mal's all-time total is 7% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mal | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 343 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 13 | 23 | 22,252 |
Mal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Mal's full recorded timeline at 1949, 52% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 48% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1950 peak of 13 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Mal at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1950
Current rank
#10,949
Active since
1880
Mal popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1950)
- 13
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Mal by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Mal's strongest decade.
84 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Mal births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 12
1880s
12 births
- 1910s 30
1910s
30 births
- 1920s 16
1920s
16 births
- 1930s
1930s
42 births
- 1940s
1940s
69 births
- 1950s
1950s
84 births
- 1960s
1960s
39 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
- 2010s 12
2010s
12 births
- 2020s
2020s
34 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 84 births (24% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Mal? ▼
Mal has been given to 343 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #10949 as of the latest data. 13 babies were born in 1950, its single highest year.
When was Mal most popular? ▼
Mal was most popular in the 1950s decade with 84 total births. The single peak year was 1950.
How long has the name Mal been used? ▼
Records for Mal go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Mal? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Malcolm, Malachi, Malik, Malakai, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Mal's data
- Mal's usage has stayed within range of its 1950s decade-level peak (84 total births) through the 2020s (34) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Mal
Nearby Names Like Mal
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mal
Malcolm Boy
#314 70,209 births
Malachi Boy
#149 65,758 births
Malik Boy
#428 49,607 births
Malakai Boy
#232 17,830 births
Malcom Boy
#1737 5,864 births
Compare Mal side by side: Mal vs Malcolm Mal vs Malachi Mal vs Malik
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mal
Harman #10948
1,049 births · Peak 2008
Toney #10950
6,416 births · Peak 1961
Florence #10947
1,454 births · Peak 1925
Weaver #10951
525 births · Peak 1914
Octave #10946
450 births · Peak 1918
Albin #10952
4,431 births · Peak 1919
Hermann #10945
731 births · Peak 1916
Holmes #10953
610 births · Peak 1915
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Mal: #10949 Boys' Name - 343 Births, Peak 1950." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/mal. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Mal draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.