Malisa
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially derived from a blend of "Melissa" and "Alisha".
Name Census estimates that about 2,105 living Americans carry the first name Malisa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Malisa today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Malisa births was 1973 (104 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Malisa. 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 Malisa with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 162,829 Americans
Peak year
1973
104 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2021 SSA rank
#14,607
Tracked since 1885
Census
Malisa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,305 people with the first name Malisa, which placed it at #6,829 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
#6,829
National first-name rank
People counted
2.3K
2,305 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
52.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malisa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Malisa is White at 52.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Hispanic (13.0%). 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 Malisa 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 Malisa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.7% · 1,215
- Black or African American17.0% · 392
- Hispanic or Latino13.0% · 300
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.7% · 247
- Two or more races5.7% · 131
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 20
Popularity
Malisa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Malisa from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 866 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Malisa 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 Malisa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Malisas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. California, Texas, Michigan recorded the most babies named Malisa, while Maryland, Arkansas, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 34 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Malisa
The name Malisa originated from the Germanic languages and has roots dating back to the Middle Ages. One theory suggests it is derived from the Old Germanic word "mahal," meaning "speech" or "counsel," combined with the suffix "-isa," implying a feminine form. This would give Malisa the meaning of "she who speaks wisely" or "counselor."
Another possibility traces Malisa's origins to the Slavic languages, where it may have evolved from the name "Malisha," which means "little one" or "little girl." This name was particularly common in regions like Poland and Ukraine during the medieval period.
Early records of the name Malisa are scarce, but it is believed to have been used in various parts of Europe during the Middle Ages. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Malisa von Hohenzollern, a German noblewoman who lived in the 13th century.
In the realm of literature, the name Malisa appears in several ancient texts and manuscripts, though its appearances are relatively rare. One notable example is in the "Codex Gigas," an enormous 13th-century manuscript from Bohemia, where a character named Malisa is mentioned in a medieval legend.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Malisa. One of the earliest was Malisa of Novgorod (c. 1150-1220), a Russian noblewoman and landowner who played a role in the political affairs of the Novgorod Republic during the 12th and 13th centuries.
In the 16th century, Malisa Vukovic (c. 1520-1588) was a Serbian poet and writer who contributed to the development of early modern Serbian literature. Her works, which included religious poetry and translations, were influential in preserving the Serbian language and culture during the Ottoman occupation.
Another notable figure was Malisa Petersen (1637-1712), a Danish painter and engraver who was renowned for her intricate etchings and engravings depicting biblical scenes and landscapes. Her works were highly sought after by collectors and patrons throughout Europe during the 17th century.
In the 19th century, Malisa Harding (1822-1892) was an American educator and social reformer who advocated for women's rights and the abolition of slavery. She founded several schools for African American children in the post-Civil War era and worked tirelessly to promote education and equal opportunities.
More recently, Malisa Longo (1939-2018) was an Italian actress and fashion model who gained fame in the 1960s and 1970s for her roles in numerous Italian films and television shows. She was also known for her striking beauty and was a muse to several famous fashion designers of the time.
People
Malisa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Malisa 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
Malisa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Malisa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,105 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Malisa 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 162,829 US residents.
Is Malisa a common name?
We classify Malisa as "Rare". It ranks above 93.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,340 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Malisa most popular?
The single biggest year for Malisa was 1973, when 104 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Malisa is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Malisa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,305 people with the name Malisa, or 0.76 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,829 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 Malisa 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 Malisa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Malisa appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,303 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Malisa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Malisa is White at 52.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Hispanic (13.0%). 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 Malisa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Malisa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.7% (1,215 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 Malisa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Malisa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Malisa 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 Malisa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Malisa 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 Malisa 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 are called Malisa?
You can see how many people share the name Malisa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.