Malaya is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Malaya means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Malaya across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Malaya has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Malaya is a girl name of Filipino origin meaning “free”. A Tagalog name meaning free, also a place name.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 8,467 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 210 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Malaya per year, United States (1977 to 2025). United States peaked in 2014 (449/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2020 (24/yr).
Malaya is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2014, when it ranked #1,240 nationally (given to 460 babies that year).
Mila · Molly · Miley · Malia · Myla · Maliyah · Mylah · Maleah
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →