Total births
21,464
Girls' name · since 1880
Malinda
21,464 babies named Malinda in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1969. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2857
- among girls today
- 21,464
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 84%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Malinda is the #2857 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 21,464 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Malinda recorded 21,464 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #2857 nationally today, ahead of 84% of girls, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2857 among girls today
- 21,464 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
- 84% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Malinda is currently the #2857 girls' name in America, more common than 84% of girls - 21,464 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #2857
- among girls today
- 21,464
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 84%
- more common than other girls
Malinda vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2857
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 84% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Malinda was born in this single decade.
1969
Single peak year
460 babies were named Malinda in 1969 - its busiest year on record.
How Malinda compares
21,464 Top 6% higher than 94% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Malinda's all-time total is 56x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Malinda | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 21,464 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 460 | 48 | 19,840 |
Malinda's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Malinda's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 72% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 28%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 35 births recorded -- set against the 1969 peak of 460, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Malinda at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1969
Current rank
#2,857
Active since
1880
Malinda popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1969)
- 460
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Malinda by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Malinda's strongest decade.
4,100 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Malinda births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 485
1880s
485 births
- 1890s 590
1890s
590 births
- 1900s 601
1900s
601 births
- 1910s 893
1910s
893 births
- 1920s 789
1920s
789 births
- 1930s 562
1930s
562 births
- 1940s 1,433
1940s
1,433 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,757 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,544 births
- 1970s
1970s
4,100 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,458 births
- 1990s 1,251
1990s
1,251 births
- 2000s 946
2000s
946 births
- 2010s 687
2010s
687 births
- 2020s 368
2020s
368 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 4,100 births (19% of all-time use).
How Malinda compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Malinda's total volume
Malinda vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Malinda by state
Where Malinda concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 1,778 | 8.3% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 1,360 | 6.3% |
| #3 | California | | 1,158 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Texas | | 925 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Indiana | | 764 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 647 | 3.0% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 620 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 599 | 2.8% |
Pennsylvania share of Malinda's total US births 8.3%
Even split
1,778 of 21,464 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Malinda appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Malinda? ▼
21,464 babies have been named Malinda since 1880. It currently ranks #2857 among girls. The peak year was 1969 with 460 births.
When was Malinda most popular? ▼
Malinda was most popular in the 1970s decade with 4,100 total births. The single peak year was 1969.
Where is Malinda most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Malinda are Pennsylvania (1,778 births), Ohio (1,360 births), California (1,158 births).
How long has the name Malinda been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Malinda since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Malinda? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Mallory, Malia, Maliyah, Malaysia, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Malinda's data
- Malinda's decade-level peak was the 1970s (4,100 total births); usage has since declined to 368 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Malindas (1,778 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania 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 Malinda
Nearby Names Like Malinda
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Malinda
Mallory Girl
#412 59,044 births
Malia Girl
#328 31,606 births
Maliyah Girl
#589 15,359 births
Malaysia Girl
#855 11,031 births
Maleah Girl
#1211 9,426 births
Compare Malinda side by side: Malinda vs Mallory Malinda vs Malia Malinda vs Maliyah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Malinda
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. "Malinda: #2857 Girls' Name - 21,464 Births, Peak 1969." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/malinda. 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 Malinda 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.