Melika
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "queen" or "sovereign".
Name Census estimates that about 385 living Americans carry the first name Melika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melika today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melika births was 1989 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melika. 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
385
~ 1 in 890,271 Americans
Peak year
1989
15 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,970
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Melika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melika from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 100 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Melika 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 Melika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Melikas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Melika
Melika is a name with roots dating back to ancient Persia. It is derived from the Persian word "melikah," which means "queen" or "sovereign." The name is believed to have originated during the Achaemenid Empire, which ruled over Persia from the 6th to 4th centuries BCE.
In ancient Persian mythology, Melika was the name of a goddess associated with fertility and abundance. She was often depicted as a beautiful woman holding a cornucopia, symbolizing her power to bring prosperity and nourishment to the land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melika can be found in the Shahnameh, a 10th-century epic poem written by the renowned Persian poet Ferdowsi. In the poem, Melika is mentioned as the name of a princess from the Parthian Empire, which ruled over ancient Persia from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Melika. One of the most famous was Melika-Sultan Begum (1363-1421), a princess of the Timurid Empire in Central Asia. She was renowned for her patronage of the arts and her efforts to promote education and cultural development.
Another prominent figure was Melika Husrev (1236-1301), a 13th-century Persian poet and mystic who wrote extensively on Sufism and spirituality. Her works, including the collection "Diwan-e Melika Husrev," are still widely studied and celebrated in the Persian-speaking world.
In the 16th century, Melika Ismatullah (1516-1589) was a renowned female Islamic scholar and poet from India. She was highly respected for her knowledge of Islamic law and her contributions to the literary and intellectual circles of her time.
During the 19th century, Melika Khanom (1828-1908) was a prominent Iranian painter and calligrapher. She is recognized as one of the first female artists in Iran to gain widespread recognition for her talents and to challenge traditional gender norms in the arts.
Another notable figure is Melika Seddiqi (1907-1968), an Afghan feminist and educator who played a crucial role in advocating for women's rights and educational opportunities in Afghanistan during the early 20th century.
While the name Melika has ancient roots in Persian culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and continues to be used in various parts of the world, carrying with it a sense of nobility, grace, and cultural richness.
People
Melika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melika 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
Melika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 385 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melika 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 890,271 US residents.
Is Melika a common name?
We classify Melika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 400 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melika most popular?
The single biggest year for Melika was 1989, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melika is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Melika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melika 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.
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.