Given name & surname
Malin
“the little warrior”
Malin is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “the little warrior.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “the little warrior.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1935. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Malin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,070
- 230 boys · 840 girls
- Most popular year
- 2012
- 78 babies
- 2025
- 16
- #7,020 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −31%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 16 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 7,020 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 35.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 66 in 2012. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,331 as a first name in 2020; 3,726 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.
Malin’s family of names
Malin has a surname derivative in MALLINSON. Malin has a related form in Madeline. Malin has a related form in Malon.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Madelinevariant
- Malanvariant
- Malynvariant
- Maylandvariant · English
- Malonvariant
- Malenvariant
- Mallinvariant · English
- Mallenvariant · English
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 5
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 Malin
- Malin AkermanSwedish actress (born 1978)
- Linn BerggrenSwedish singerborn 1970
- Malin CrépinSwedish actressborn 1978
- Malin AuneNorwegian handball playerborn 1995
- Malin ReitanNorwegian musicianborn 1995
- Malin LevenstadAssociation footballerborn 1988
- Malin Baryard-JohnssonSwedish equestrianborn 1975
- Malin MoströmSwedish association football playerborn 1975
- Malin BuskaSwedish actressborn 1984
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Malin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Allisyn
Allisyn is a feminine given name from English. It is used in French.
>99% girls
Malwina
Malwina is a feminine given name from English, ultimately from Scottish Gaelic. It is used in Polish.
>99% girls
Jasleen
Jasleen is a feminine given name from English. It is used in French.
>99% girls
Maryory
Maryory is a given name from English. It is used in Spanish.
>99% girls
Marlee
“of the marshy meadow”
2% boys · 98% girls
Daiana
Daiana is a feminine given name from English. It is used in Spanish.
>99% girls
Jazlyn
Jazlyn is a feminine given name.
>99% girls
Maryorie
Maryorie is a given name from English. It is used in Spanish.
>99% girls