Total births
49,607
Boys' name · since 1949
Malik
49,607 babies named Malik in U.S. Social Security records since 1949, with the highest year being 1996. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #428
- among boys today
- 49,607
- born since 1949
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Malik currently ranks #428 among boys' names in America, with 49,607 babies recorded since 1949.
Social Security Administration records show Malik recorded 49,607 times among boys since 1949, holding rank #428 nationally today, ahead of 97% of boys, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1949 to 2025.
- #428 among boys today
- 49,607 born since 1949
- 1990s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Malik is currently the #428 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 49,607 born since 1949, peaking in the 1990s.
- #428
- among boys today
- 49,607
- born since 1949
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Malik vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#428
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 97% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Malik was born in this single decade.
1996
Single peak year
4,026 babies were named Malik in 1996 - its busiest year on record.
How Malik compares
49,607 Top 4% higher than 96% of 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
Malik's all-time total is 135x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Malik | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 49,607 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,026 | 23 | 22,252 |
Malik's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Malik splits its recorded history at 1994: 90% of all births land in the more recent half, 10% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1949 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1996 peak of 4,026 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Malik at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1996
Current rank
#428
Active since
1949
Malik popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1949–2025
- Peak year (1996)
- 4,026
- Annual births at peak, across 77 years of records
Malik popularity over time - girls
259 total births recorded since 1970 (Malik as girls' name)
Malik by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Malik's strongest decade.
17,951 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Malik births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 5
1940s
5 births
- 1950s 6
1950s
6 births
- 1960s 139
1960s
139 births
- 1970s 1,348
1970s
1,348 births
- 1980s 1,427
1980s
1,427 births
- 1990s
1990s
17,951 births
- 2000s
2000s
14,766 births
- 2010s
2010s
9,210 births
- 2020s 4,755
2020s
4,755 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 17,951 births (36% of all-time use).
How Malik 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 Malik's total volume
Malik vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Malik by state
Where Malik concentrates geographically, total births since 1949
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 4,791 | 9.7% |
| #2 | California | | 3,494 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Florida | | 3,491 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 3,050 | 6.1% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 2,942 | 5.9% |
| #6 | Texas | | 2,471 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 2,313 | 4.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 2,265 | 4.6% |
New York share of Malik's total US births 9.7%
Even split
4,791 of 49,607 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Malik appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Malik? ▼
49,607 babies have been named Malik since 1949. It currently ranks #428 among boys. The peak year was 1996 with 4,026 births.
When was Malik most popular? ▼
Malik was most popular in the 1990s decade with 17,951 total births. The single peak year was 1996.
Where is Malik most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Malik are New York (4,791 births), California (3,494 births), Florida (3,491 births).
How long has the name Malik been used? ▼
Malik has been recorded in Social Security data since 1949, spanning 77 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Malik? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Malcolm, Malachi, Malakai, Malcom, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Malik's data
- Malik's decade-level peak was the 1990s (17,951 total births); usage has since declined to 4,755 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Maliks (4,791 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- 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 Malik
Nearby Names Like Malik
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Malik
Malcolm Boy
#314 70,209 births
Malachi Boy
#149 65,758 births
Malakai Boy
#232 17,830 births
Malcom Boy
#1737 5,864 births
Malaki Boy
#1377 4,786 births
Compare Malik side by side: Malik vs Malcolm Malik vs Malachi Malik vs Malakai
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Malik
Armani #427
15,410 births · Peak 2021
Alijah #429
14,231 births · Peak 2021
Nehemiah #426
21,804 births · Peak 2010
Kameron #430
39,012 births · Peak 2015
Hank #425
16,984 births · Peak 2025
Lewis #431
155,766 births · Peak 1921
Royal #424
20,072 births · Peak 2021
Kane #432
19,521 births · Peak 2018
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, 1949–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Malik: #428 Boys' Name - 49,607 Births, Peak 1996." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/malik. 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 Malik 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.