Maliek
A masculine Arabic name meaning "king", "supreme ruler" or "leader".
Name Census estimates that about 1,038 living Americans carry the first name Maliek. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Maliek today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maliek births was 1997 (74 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maliek. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 330,206 Americans
Peak year
1997
74 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,515
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Maliek: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maliek from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 371 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
Maliek 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 Maliek during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Malieks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. New York, Florida, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Maliek, while Virginia, Texas, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maliek
The name Maliek has its origins in the Arabic language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Arabic word "malik," which means "king" or "ruler." The name is closely associated with the Islamic faith and the rich cultural heritage of the Arab world.
In its earliest usage, Maliek was often given to boys born into noble or ruling families, reflecting the regal connotations of the name. As Islam spread across the Middle East and North Africa, the name gained popularity among Muslims in various regions, including the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and parts of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Maliek can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. The name appears in various verses, often in the context of praising God as the King of kings. This association with divine authority and sovereignty further solidified the name's prestigious status.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Maliek. One of the most famous was Maliek ibn Anas (715-795 CE), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist who founded the Maliki school of jurisprudence, one of the four major schools of Sunni Islamic law. His influential works on Islamic law and theology have had a lasting impact on Muslim societies.
Another prominent figure was Maliek al-Zahir (1176-1227 CE), an Ayyubid sultan who ruled over parts of modern-day Egypt, Syria, and Palestine. He is remembered for his military campaigns against the Crusaders and his patronage of Islamic architecture, including the construction of the iconic Citadel of Cairo.
In the realm of literature, Maliek ibn al-Nabi (1905-1973) was an influential Algerian thinker and writer who contributed to the Islamic reform movement. His works, such as "The Conditions of Renaissance," explored the relationship between Islam and modernity, and he is considered a pioneer of contemporary Islamic thought.
Another notable figure was Maliek Bennabi (1905-1973), an Algerian philosopher and writer who played a significant role in the intellectual and cultural revival of the Arab world. His works, such as "The Question of Ideas in the Muslim World," criticized the blind imitation of Western models and advocated for a renaissance of Islamic thought and values.
In more recent times, Maliek Shabazz (1965-1969) was the youngest son of Malcolm X, the prominent African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist. Tragically, he was assassinated along with his mother, Betty Shabazz, in a fire set by her grandson in 1997.
People
Maliek + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maliek 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
Maliek: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maliek?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,038 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maliek 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 330,206 US residents.
Is Maliek a common name?
We classify Maliek as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,055 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maliek most popular?
The single biggest year for Maliek was 1997, when 74 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maliek is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maliek a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maliek 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.
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.