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”.
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 an olive-green plumage, yellow head and chest, and pink-brown bill.
Malia as a city or place
There are several places in Greece called Malia. It is a coastal city and a palace in Crete, a small town on the island Cyprus and a cap on the island Lesbos.
There is also the volcano Malia Vgethi on the Greek peninsula Methana.
In the Spanish-Portuguese region Hispania Tarraconensis, there is also a city called Malia.
Famous people named Malia
The daughter of 44th president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama is called Malia Ann Obama, born 1998. She is a student a the prestigious 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 MaryAnne Spier in the Netflix show “The Babysitter Club”.
American surfer and model Malia Jones (born 1977) is married to Australian actor Alex O’Loughlin, known from the TV show “Hawai Five-O”.
American surfer Malia Manuel (born 1993) was the youngest winner of the “US Open of Surfing” at the age of 14.
American actress Malia Pyles (born 2000) is a former child actress. She is known for her leading role in the TV show “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin”.
Fictional characters named Malia
In the TV show “Teen Wolf“, the character Malia Tate is played by Shelley Henning. She is a werecojote.
Based on the frequency of positive ratings, we can analyze how popular names are in different countries. The name Malia is currently ranked #35 on the name leaderboard. It is one of the most popular baby names.
Curious about more trends? Find out which names are most popular in the USA, Canada, Australia, and worldwide.