Given name
Malvina
“having a smooth brow”
Malvina has Gaelic-inspired roots and an international history shaped by poetry.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “having a smooth brow.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
In French usage, Malvina is a feminine form of Islas Malvinas. In French usage, Malvina is a feminine form of Îles Malouines.
The story
James Macpherson appears to have created Malvina for his Ossianic literary world. The name also came into use in Scandinavia, as well as Scotland and England; the island name Las Malvinas should not be assumed to share its origin.
Malvina through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,686
- 0 boys · 1,686 girls
- Most popular year
- 1917
- 63 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 6 in 2022. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 63 in 1917. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 938 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Malvina’s family of names
In French usage, Malvina is a feminine form of Islas Malvinas. In French usage, Malvina has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form MALWINA. Malvina has a related form in Malveana.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Malvina has relatives in 7 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
8 related names in 7 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.
- Malvinevariant
- Malvynevariant
- Malvynavariant
- Malveanavariant
- Malveinavariant
- Malvienavariant
- Malveenahvariant
- Malveenavariant
Show 1 moreShow fewer
Across languages 13
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Malvina
- Malvina ReynoldsAmerican folk singer (1900–1978)
- Malvina PoloAmerican actress (1903-2000)
- Malvina LongfellowAmerican actress (1889-1962)
- Malvina Garriguessinger (1825–1904)
- Malvina MajorNew Zealand opera sopranoborn 1943
- Malvina HoffmanAmerican sculptor (1885–1966)
- Malvina TavaresBrazilian anarchist (1866–1939)
- Malvina PastorinoArgentine actress (1916–1994)
- Malvina BråkenhielmSwedish writer1853–1928
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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