♀ Name Malia – drop of the sea

Origin:	Hawaiian, Swahili, Hebrew
Meaning:	sea of bitterness, drop of the sea, star of the sea, rebelliousness, exalted one, beloved, wished for child, brave, diligent, queen
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Malia is a name with Hawaiian and Swahili roots. It is commonly associated with meanings such as “sea of bitterness,” “beloved,” and “queen.”

Where does the name Malia come from?

Malia is a Hawaiian form of the name Maria, which is derived from Mirjam. Besides, Malia is a short form of Amalia and also a Swahili name.

What does the name Malia mean?

Malia means “sea of bitterness”, “drop of the sea”, “star of the sea”, “rebelliousness”, “exalted one”, “beloved” or “wished for child” (from Maria) and “brave” and “diligent” (from Amalia). In Swahili, Malia means “queen”.

Word composition

• Egyptian “mry” = beloved
• Hebrew “mar” (מַר) = drop
• Hebrew “mará” (מָרָה) = bitterness
• Hebrew “yam” (יָם) = sea)
• Hebrew “maor” (מאור) = star, light
• Hebrew “róm” (רוֹם) = height
• Hebrew “meri” (מְרִי) = rebelliousness
• Gothic “amals” = brave, diligent

Other variants and anagrams

Malia can also be spelled Mahlia, Mahliah, Maliah, Malija, Malja, Maliya, Malyah, Malyah, Malya, Mallia, Maalia, or Malía. Anagrams for Malia are Alima, Amali, Amila, Laima, Lamai, Lamia, Maila, and Miala.

Nicknames for Malia

Popular nicknames for Malia are Lia, Lili, Mali, Mal, or Mala.

Malia, the bird

The medium-sized Malia grata is a babbler-like passerine and the only member of the genus Malia. It has olive-green plumage, a yellow head and chest, and a pink-brown bill.

Malia as a city or place

• There are several places in Greece called Malia. It is a coastal city and palace in Crete, a small town on the island of Cyprus, and a cape on the island of Lesbos.
• There is also the volcano Malia Vgethi on the Greek peninsula of Methana.
• In the Spanish-Portuguese region of Hispania Tarraconensis, there is also a city called Malia.

Famous people named Malia

• The daughter of the 44th president, Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle Obama is called Malia Ann Obama, born in 1998. She is a student at Harvard University, where her parents met. Her Secret Service code name was “Radiance.”
• Botswana-Canadian actress Malia Baker (born 2006) is especially known for her role as Mary Anne Spier in the Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club.
• American surfer and model Malia Jones (born 1977) is married to Australian actor Alex O’Loughlin, known from the TV series Hawaii Five-0.
• American surfer Malia Manuel (born 1993) was the youngest winner of the U.S. Open of Surfing at age 14.
• American actress Malia Pyles (born 2000) is a former child actress. She is known for her leading role in the TV series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.

Fictional characters named Malia

In the TV series Teen Wolf, the character Malia Tate is played by Shelley Henning. She is a werecoyote.

Pronunciation of Malia

Variants

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Hawaiian Names

Author: Juliane Schmetzer

Last updated: 3/29/2026