Malda
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "soft, tender, or weak".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Malda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Malda today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Malda births was 1912 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Malda. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Malda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1912
5 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1932 SSA rank
#4,833
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Malda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Malda from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Malda by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Malda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Malda
The name Malda has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language of India, dating back to around the 2nd century BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "malda," which means "garland of flowers." During this period, the name was commonly used in the region that is now northern India and Pakistan.
In Hindu mythology, Malda was the name of a beautiful celestial nymph who was renowned for her enchanting beauty and her skill in crafting exquisite floral garlands. Her name is mentioned in several ancient Hindu texts, including the Mahabharata and the Puranas.
The earliest recorded use of the name Malda can be found in ancient Indian inscriptions and texts from the Gupta Empire, which ruled over a large part of the Indian subcontinent between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. One notable individual who bore this name was Malda Devi, a princess from the Gupta dynasty who lived in the 5th century CE.
Throughout history, the name Malda has been associated with several notable figures. In the 12th century, Malda was the name of a famous Indian poet and mystic who composed numerous works of devotional poetry. Another individual named Malda was a renowned Rajput warrior who fought against the Mughal Empire in the 16th century.
During the 17th century, Malda was the name of a respected Hindu scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of the Vedas and other ancient Indian texts. In the 19th century, Malda Singh was a prominent leader of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, which challenged British colonial rule in India.
Other notable figures named Malda include Malda Mehrotra, an influential Indian social reformer and women's rights activist in the early 20th century, and Malda Naidu, a celebrated Indian poet and freedom fighter who played a pivotal role in the Indian independence movement alongside leaders like Mahatma Gandhi.
People
Malda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Malda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Malda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Malda going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Malda a common name?
We classify Malda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Malda most popular?
The single biggest year for Malda was 1912, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Malda is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Malda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Malda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Malda in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Malda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Malda in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Malda can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Malda?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Malda at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.