Given name & surname · also Welsh, Thai
Mali
“a ruler; the firstborn son”
Mali is used as a given name and a surname. One Indian interpretation is “a ruler; the firstborn son.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Indian interpretation is “a ruler; the firstborn son.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Welsh and Indian naming traditions.
How it developed
In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Mali is a short form of Amalie.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1967. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mali through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,495
- 89 boys · 1,406 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 69 babies
- 2025
- 45
- #3,954 for girls · #9,406 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +21%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 37 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,954 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 65 in 2008. It also appeared in 8 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,809 as a first name in 2020; 751 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.
Mali’s family of names
In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Mali is a short form of Amalie. Mali is a form of Molly. Mali has a related form in Malea.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Mali has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Welsh roots to each of them.
7 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Amaliefull form · Norwegian Bokmål, German
- Maleavariant
- Malievariant
- Maleevariant
- Maleighvariant
- Malevariant · German
- Maleyvariant
- Malyvariant
Show 1 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Mali
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mali, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Mayuri
“resembling a peahen”
>99% girls
Meenakshi
“having beautiful eyes”
>99% girls
Maliha
“a beautiful woman of great strength”
>99% girls
Kalki
“resembling a white horse”
21% boys · 79% girls
Kashvi
“a shining man”
>99% girls
Mabyn
“one who is forever young”
>99% girls
Hendy
“courteous, kind, gentle”
>99% girls
Sila
“a well-behaved, chaste woman”
>99% girls