UK girl's name
Maleya
A feminine name of West Indian origin meaning "destiny" or "path".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Maleya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Maleya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4192, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 5 births.
This profile covers 8 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2019 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Maleya is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 8 living people in the UK are called Maleya. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Maleya ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 5 girls were registered as Maleya.
- • About 8 living people in the UK are estimated to have Maleya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4192
2024
Births in 2024
5
Latest year
Peak year
2024
5 births
Estimated living
8
2026
Meaning
What does Maleya mean?
The name Maleya has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "malaya," which means "mountain range" or "garland." The name is closely associated with the Malay Archipelago, a group of islands in Southeast Asia that includes Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Maleya can be found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, which is believed to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE. In the epic, Maleya is mentioned as the name of a mountain range located in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent.
Throughout history, the name Maleya has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest known figures with this name was Maleya, a Buddhist monk who lived in the 5th century CE and was known for his teachings on mindfulness and meditation.
In the 12th century, there was Maleya of Cordoba, a Spanish-Arabic poet and philosopher who was renowned for her contributions to the literary and intellectual life of the Andalusian region of Spain during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization.
During the 16th century, Maleya was the name of a powerful female ruler of the Majapahit Empire, which was located in what is now modern-day Indonesia. She was known for her diplomatic skills and her efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region.
In more recent times, Maleya was the name of a prominent Indian freedom fighter and activist who lived from 1897 to 1972. She was a leader in the Indian independence movement and worked tirelessly to promote women's rights and social justice.
Another noteworthy individual named Maleya was a Peruvian artist who lived from 1923 to 2001. She was known for her vibrant and colorful paintings that depicted the landscapes and culture of her native Peru.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Maleya over time
The chart below shows babies named Maleya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2019 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Maleya, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maleya by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Maleya was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4192 | 5 | 1 |
| 2010s | #5591 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Maleya
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Maleya: questions and answers
How popular is the name Maleya in the UK right now?
In 2024, Maleya was ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Maleya most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 5 babies registered as Maleya in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Maleya?
A feminine name of West Indian origin meaning "destiny" or "path".
How many people are called Maleya in the UK?
A total of 8 babies have been registered as Maleya across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.