Malic
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "owner or king".
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the first name Malic. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Malic today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Malic births was 1997 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Malic. 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.
People living today
131
~ 1 in 2,616,445 Americans
Peak year
1997
12 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2016 SSA rank
#6,984
Tracked since 1994
Census
Malic in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 170 people with the first name Malic, which placed it at #42,346 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
#42,346
National first-name rank
People counted
170
170 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
51.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malic
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Malic is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (23.5%) and Two or More Races (11.8%). 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 Malic 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 Malic at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.2% · 87
- White23.5% · 40
- Two or more races11.8% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino10.0% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 6
Popularity
Malic: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Malic from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 66 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
Malic 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 Malic 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 Malic
The name Malic is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, which was the primary language of the Indian subcontinent and a classical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "malika," which means "garland" or "wreath." This connection suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals in ancient India as a symbol of beauty, grace, and honor.
In the realm of ancient texts and scriptures, the name Malic has been mentioned in various Hindu and Buddhist writings. One notable reference can be found in the Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic poem that dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In this epic, there is a character named Malika, who is described as a skilled archer and warrior.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Malic can be traced back to the 6th century CE in India. During this time, the name was primarily used by members of the Brahmin caste, which was the highest caste in the Hindu social hierarchy. It was considered a prestigious name, often associated with scholarly pursuits and spiritual enlightenment.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Malic. One prominent figure was Malic Ibn Anas (715-795 CE), an Islamic scholar and jurist who founded the Maliki school of Sunni jurisprudence. His teachings and legal interpretations had a significant impact on Islamic law and jurisprudence, particularly in North Africa and parts of the Middle East.
Another historical figure with the name Malic was Malic Kafur (1293-1316 CE), an Indian slave who rose to become a powerful military general and the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. He is remembered for his military campaigns and his patronage of architecture, including the construction of the Alai Darwaza, a magnificent gateway in Delhi.
In the realm of literature, Malic Karim Khan (1616-1689 CE) was a renowned Persian poet and calligrapher. His poetic works, known for their lyrical beauty and profound insights, earned him widespread acclaim and a place among the greatest poets of the Safavid era.
Malic Qasim Amin (1865-1908 CE) was an Egyptian writer, jurist, and one of the pioneers of the Egyptian nationalist movement. His influential writings advocated for women's rights, education, and social reforms, making him a prominent figure in the early stages of the Arab Renaissance.
Lastly, Malic Ambar (1548-1626 CE) was an Ethiopian-born military leader and prime minister in the Ahmadnagar Sultanate of the Deccan region in India. He is renowned for his strategic military campaigns and his role in the establishment of the Maratha Empire, which played a significant role in shaping the political landscape of the Indian subcontinent.
People
Malic + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Malic 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
Malic: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malic?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 131 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Malic 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 2,616,445 US residents.
Is Malic a common name?
We classify Malic as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 133 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Malic most popular?
The single biggest year for Malic was 1997, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Malic is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Malic in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 170 people with the name Malic, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,346 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 Malic 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 Malic?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Malic leans strongly male. 166 people counted with this name were male (97.1%), compared with 5 female bearers (2.9%). 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 Malic?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Malic is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (23.5%) and Two or More Races (11.8%). 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 Malic most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Malic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.2% (87 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 Malic in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Malic a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Malic in the SSA data are male. 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 Malic still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Malic 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 Malic 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 Americans are named Malic?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.