Boys' name · peaked in 1996
Malik name popularity since 1925
49,866 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Malik. Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Malik is about 25 years old in 2026. Malik peaked in 1996 as the #97 name for boys, and it ranked #437 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 49,866
- Named Malik, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #437
- for boys in 2025 (724 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.5% boys
- 259 girls · 49,607 boys
- Most popular in
- District of Columbia
- 3.73× its national share
Peak year is the year Malik made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Malik births per year, 1925–2025
1996 was the biggest year for Malik both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1991 and 1996, Malik became 12× more common, from 1 in 5,490 baby boys to 1 in 471.
- Steepest fall: Between 1996 and 2001, its share of baby boys fell by 55%, from 1 in 471 to 1 in 1,040.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Malik's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Malik.
Decade by decade
Babies named Malik in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1940s | 0 | 5 | Under 5 |
| 1950s | 0 | 6 | Under 5 |
| 1960s | 0 | 139 | #3,148 |
| 1970s | 32 | 1,348 | #753 |
| 1980s | 21 | 1,427 | #800 |
| 1990s | 130 | 17,951 | #131 |
| 2000s | 49 | 14,766 | #265 |
| 2010s | 27 | 9,210 | #375 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 4,755 | #437 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000. "Under 5" means fewer than 5 boys got the name.
Generation fingerprint
52.7% of babies named Malik from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Malik is most popular
The index compares Malik's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Malik.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 3.73× | 833 |
| Maryland | 2.42× | 1,794 |
| Georgia | 2.28× | 3,050 |
| Florida | 1.99× | 3,491 |
| South Carolina | 1.87× | 1,269 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Malik and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Malik (this page) | 49,607 | 1996 |
| Malek | 3,086 | 2023 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Malik's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Malik.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Malik (1996).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data