Malibu
A place name referring to the scenic beach city in California.
Name Census estimates that about 146 living Americans carry the first name Malibu. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Malibu today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Malibu births was 2023 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Malibu. 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 Malibu with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
146
~ 1 in 2,347,632 Americans
Peak year
2023
27 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,094
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Malibu: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Malibu from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 77 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
Malibu 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 Malibu during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Malibus live
Origin
Meaning and history of Malibu
The name Malibu is a relatively modern name, originating from the city of Malibu, California in the United States. It is believed to have derived from the Chumashan Native American language, specifically the word "Humaliwo" which translates to "the surf sounds loudly".
The Chumash tribe inhabited the coastal regions of present-day Malibu and the surrounding areas. The name "Humaliwo" was likely coined by the tribe to describe the crashing waves and roaring surf that characterize the coastline.
The first recorded use of the name "Malibu" dates back to the late 18th century when Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the region. They adapted the Chumashan word "Humaliwo" to the more Spanish-sounding "Malibu".
There are no known historical figures or prominent individuals who bore the name Malibu prior to the 20th century. The earliest recorded person with the first name Malibu is Malibu Jenna, born in 1977, who is a former American adult film actress.
Another notable individual with the name Malibu is Malibu Baffer, born in 1988, an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her collaborations with artists such as Akon and Kardinal Offishall.
In the realm of sports, Malibu Monsoor is a professional wrestler born in 1983. She has competed in various independent wrestling promotions across the United States.
Malibu Strings, born in 1976, is an American musician and singer-songwriter known for her work in the genres of reggae and pop music.
Malibu Surf, born in 1985, is an American professional surfer and surfing instructor. She has won several surfing competitions and is known for her involvement in promoting the sport.
While the name Malibu is relatively new and modern, its origins can be traced back to the indigenous Chumashan language and the coastal region of present-day California. It has gained popularity in recent decades as a unique and distinctive name, often associated with the beach culture and surfing lifestyle of the famous Malibu city.
People
Malibu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Malibu 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
Malibu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malibu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 146 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Malibu 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 2,347,632 US residents.
Is Malibu a common name?
We classify Malibu as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 147 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Malibu most popular?
The single biggest year for Malibu was 2023, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Malibu is about 10 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 Malibu in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Malibu a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Malibu 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 Malibu still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Malibu 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 Malibu 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 many people are named Malibu?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.