Given name & surname
Malka
“a queenly woman”
Malka is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “a queenly woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “a queenly woman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1946. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Malka through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,505
- 5 boys · 6,500 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 264 babies
- 2025
- 248
- #1,011 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +22%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 248 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,011 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 21.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New Jersey had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (122). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,838 as a first name in 2020; 757 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.
Malka’s family of names
In Czech usage, Malka is a diminutive of Malvína. Malka has a related form in Milka. Malka has a related form in Milca.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Milkavariant
- Milcahvariant
- Malkievariant
- Malkiavariant
- Milcavariant
- Malkevariant
- Malkahvariant
- Malvínafull form · Czech
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Malka
- Malka LockerIsraeli poet, translator, literary theorist1887–1990
- Malka LeeAmerican writer1904–1976
- Malika KishwarQueen of Awadh (1803–1858)
- Malka OlderAmerican author and humanitarian workerborn 1977
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Malka, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sára
“lady, princess”
>99% girls
Isabella
“my God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Ahasveros
“chief king”
—
Willa
“will” · “desire”
>99% girls
Eleni
“the shining light” · “shining light”
>99% girls
Olena
“the shining light”
>99% girls
Ottilie
“a wealthy man”
>99% girls
Zara
“princess”
>99% girls