Boys' name · since 1988
Malakai
Malakai has 17,830 recorded births since 1988 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #881 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #213 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 17,830
- born since 1988
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Malakai is the #213 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 17,830 recorded since 1988.
Social Security Administration records show Malakai recorded 17,830 times among boys since 1988, holding rank #213 nationally today, ahead of 98% of boys, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1988 to 2025.
- #881 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #213 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 17,830 born since 1988
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Malakai ranks #881 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #213 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 17,830 born since 1988, peaking in the 2020s.
- #881 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #213 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 17,830
- born since 1988
- 2020s
- peak decade
Malakai's 17,830 recorded births place it above 98.06% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Malakai compares
17,830 Top 7% higher than 93% of 13,930 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
Malakai's all-time total is 48x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Malakai | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 17,830 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,657 | 34 | 22,252 |
Malakai's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Malakai splits its recorded history at 2007: 92% of all births land in the more recent half, 8% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1992 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 1,657 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Malakai popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1988–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 1,657
- Annual births at peak, across 38 years of records
Malakai popularity over time - girls
57 total births recorded since 2006 (Malakai as girls' name)
Malakai by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (8,884 births, 50% of the file).
2020s was Malakai's strongest decade.
8,884 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 50% of all-time use.
Malakai births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 7
1980s
7 births
- 1990s 136
1990s
136 births
- 2000s 2,443
2000s
2,443 births
- 2010s
2010s
6,360 births
- 2020s
2020s
8,884 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 8,884 births (50% of all-time use).
How Malakai compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Malakai's total volume
Malakai by state
Where Malakai concentrates geographically, total births since 1988
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,673 | 15.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,752 | 9.8% |
| #3 | Florida | | 1,301 | 7.3% |
| #4 | Washington | | 628 | 3.5% |
| #5 | Arizona | | 558 | 3.1% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 551 | 3.1% |
| #7 | New York | | 539 | 3.0% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 501 | 2.8% |
2,673 of 17,830 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Malakai appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Malakai's data
- California records the most Malakais (2,673 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Malakai
Nearby Names Like Malakai
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Malakai
Compare Malakai side by side: Malakai vs Malcolm Malakai vs Malachi Malakai vs Malik
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Malakai
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Malakai: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~37 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1988–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Malakai 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 August 2026.