Malik
Arabic, “king”; one of the traditional names of God in Islam, widely given in Black American families since the 1970s.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Malik first shows up in the national records in 1949. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 1 different years between 1996 and 1996. Its biggest year was 1996, when 4,026 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 97 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 437 for boys. All told, 49,866 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Malak (4,183), Malek (3,092), Maleek (2,086), Maliq (785), Malick (626), Maalik (554) (total births since 1880)
Explore Malik interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 5 | No. 3690 |
| 1950s | 6 | No. 3373 |
| 1960s | 139 | No. 1086 |
| 1970s | 1,348 | No. 649 |
| 1980s | 1,427 | No. 665 |
| 1990s | 17,951 | No. 97 |
| 2000s | 14,766 | No. 176 |
| 2010s | 9,210 | No. 283 |
| 2020s | 4,755 | No. 373 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.