Given name & surname
Malena
“woman from Magdala”
Malena is a variant of Madeline. One Hebrew interpretation is “woman from Magdala.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Malena is a variant of Madeline. One Hebrew interpretation is “woman from Magdala.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Malena is a variant of Madeline. An origin associated with Madeline is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Malena through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,058
- 0 boys · 4,058 girls
- Most popular year
- 2004
- 146 babies
- 2025
- 81
- #2,271 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −6%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 81 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,271 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 5.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 146 in 2004. In 2025, California and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (11 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,061 as a first name in 2020; 569 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Malena’s family of names
Malena has a related form in Madeline.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Malena
- Malena AlterioItalian-Argentine-Spanish actressborn 1974
- Malena JosephsenDanish footballerborn 1977
- Malena MårdSwedish diplomatborn 1969
- Malena MuyalaUruguayan musicianborn 1971
- Malena PichotArgentine comedianborn 1982
- Malena EngströmSwedish actressborn 1967
- Malena VillaArgentine actress and singer-songwriterborn 1995
- Malena AlvaradoVenezuelan actress1954–2013
- Malena BurkeCuban singerborn 1958
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Malena, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Torbe(r)n
—
Pirkko
Pirkko is a feminine given name. It is used in Finnish.
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