Malena
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "unfortunate" or "unlucky".
Name Census estimates that about 3,816 living Americans carry the first name Malena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Malena today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Malena births was 2004 (146 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Malena. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Malena with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.8K
~ 1 in 89,820 Americans
Peak year
2004
146 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,469
Tracked since 1886
Census
Malena in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,062 people with the first name Malena, which placed it at #4,541 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,541
National first-name rank
People counted
4.1K
4,062 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
41.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malena
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Malena is Hispanic at 41.5%. The next largest groups are White (39.5%) and Black (7.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Malena described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Malena at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino41.5% · 1,687
- White39.5% · 1,605
- Black or African American7.8% · 315
- Two or more races6.1% · 249
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 155
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 51
Popularity
Malena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Malena from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,234 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Malena 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 Malena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Malenas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 25 states and territories. California, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Malena, while Utah, Oklahoma, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 63 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Malena
The given name Malena has its origins in the Spanish language. It is a feminine form of the male name Malén, which is derived from the Latin name Mallenus. The name Mallenus is thought to have originated as a Roman family name, possibly connected to the Latin word "malleus," meaning "hammer" or "mallet."
In Spanish-speaking cultures, the name Malena gained popularity during the Middle Ages and has been used ever since. It is particularly common in Spain, Latin America, and among Hispanic communities worldwide. The name's popularity may have been influenced by its association with the Virgin Mary, as "Malena" is sometimes considered a diminutive or affectionate form of "María Elena."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Malena can be found in the writings of the Spanish poet and playwright Lope de Vega (1562-1635). In his play "La Dorotea," published in 1632, one of the characters is named Malena.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Malena. One of the most famous was Malena Ernman (born 1970), a Swedish opera singer and the mother of environmental activist Greta Thunberg. Another notable Malena was Malena Mård (1908-1985), a Finnish author and translator known for her children's books.
In the realm of art, the name Malena is associated with the Italian actress and model Malena Ermante (born 1982), who has appeared in numerous films and television shows. The Spanish painter Malena Mazza (born 1982) is another contemporary figure known by this name.
Historically, the name Malena has also been borne by Malena Parding (1883-1964), a Swedish actress and singer who performed in operettas and revues during the early 20th century. Malena Monteverde (1863-1952) was an Italian operatic soprano who gained fame for her performances in works by composers like Verdi and Puccini.
While these are just a few examples, the name Malena has been carried by women from various backgrounds and eras, reflecting its enduring appeal across cultures and time periods.
People
Malena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Malena 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
Malena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,816 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Malena 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 89,820 US residents.
Is Malena a common name?
We classify Malena as "Rare". It ranks above 95.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,977 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Malena most popular?
The single biggest year for Malena was 2004, when 146 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Malena is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Malena in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,062 people with the name Malena, or 1.34 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,541 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Malena in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Malena?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Malena appears almost entirely female. Of the 4,061 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Malena?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Malena is Hispanic at 41.5%. The next largest groups are White (39.5%) and Black (7.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Malena most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Malena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.5% (1,687 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Malena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Malena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Malena 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 Malena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Malena 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 Malena 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.
How many people have Malena as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.