Maleigha
A diminutive English feminine name derived from the phrase "my lady".
Name Census estimates that about 1,445 living Americans carry the first name Maleigha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maleigha today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maleigha births was 2009 (111 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maleigha. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Maleigha is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 237,200 Americans
Peak year
2009
111 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,370
Tracked since 1991
Census
Maleigha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,050 people with the first name Maleigha, which placed it at #12,014 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,014
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,050 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
45.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maleigha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Maleigha is White at 45.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (21.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Maleigha described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Maleigha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.8% · 481
- Black or African American21.4% · 225
- Two or more races21.0% · 220
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 13
Popularity
Maleigha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maleigha from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 692 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maleigha by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maleigha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maleighas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. Texas, Tennessee, Ohio recorded the most babies named Maleigha, while Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maleigha
The name Maleigha is a relatively modern variant spelling of the traditional English name Malea or Maleia. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "mæl," which means "speech" or "discourse." The name was likely derived from this root word, denoting a person who was skilled in oration or possessed a gift for communication.
The earliest recorded use of the name Maleigha can be found in various birth records and historical documents from the late 20th century. It is believed that this particular spelling gained popularity as a creative and unique twist on the more conventional forms of the name. However, it is essential to note that the name itself has a much longer history, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne variations of this name. One of the earliest recorded instances is Maleia of Chios, a Greek poet and philosopher who lived in the 5th century BCE. She was renowned for her contributions to the field of ethics and is believed to have influenced the teachings of Socrates.
Another prominent figure was Maleia of Cyzicus, a 4th-century BCE Greek mathematician and astronomer. Her work on the calculation of celestial movements and the development of mathematical models was highly influential during her time.
In the realm of literature, Malea Plater was a 19th-century Polish novelist and playwright. Her works, which often explored themes of social injustice and the plight of women in society, were widely acclaimed and helped shape the literary landscape of her era.
Malea Seljan was a Croatian artist and sculptor who lived in the early 20th century. Her works, which often depicted scenes from everyday life and the natural world, are considered significant contributions to the art scene of her time.
Lastly, Malea Agou was a Greek actress and director who gained recognition for her performances in both theater and film during the latter half of the 20th century. Her portrayal of complex and nuanced female characters earned her critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout her career.
While the name Maleigha may be a more recent spelling variation, its roots can be traced back to the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of the English language. Throughout history, individuals bearing variations of this name have made significant contributions across various fields, leaving an indelible mark on their respective eras.
People
Maleigha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maleigha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maleigha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maleigha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,445 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maleigha going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 237,200 US residents.
Is Maleigha a common name?
We classify Maleigha as "Rare". It ranks above 92.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,461 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maleigha most popular?
The single biggest year for Maleigha was 2009, when 111 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maleigha is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Maleigha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,050 people with the name Maleigha, or 0.35 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,014 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Maleigha in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Maleigha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Maleigha appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,056 people counted with this name, 99.2% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Maleigha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Maleigha is White at 45.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (21.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Maleigha most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Maleigha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.8% (481 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Maleigha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maleigha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maleigha in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Maleigha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maleigha in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Maleigha can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Maleigha?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.