| Iman | Malak | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Faith, belief | Angel |
| Origin | arabic | Arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ee-MAHN | MAL-ak |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1975 | 1983 |
| Peak year | 1996 (178) | 2011 (210) |
| In 2025 | 91 | 137 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Iman | Malak |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 561 | 760 |
| 2010s | 1,040 | 1,706 |
| 2000s | 1,555 | 1,146 |
| 1990s | 1,395 | 255 |
| 1980s | 481 | 27 |
| 1970s | 92 | 0 |
Iman (إيمان, iman) means 'faith, belief' (in God) and comes from the root '-m-n, which also carries ideas of security and trust. It is used for both girls and boys and is a central concept in Islam.
Malak means “angel” in Arabic.
Malak is more popular than Iman today: about 137 US babies were given the name Malak in 2025, compared with 91 named Iman.
Iman means Faith, belief (arabic origin), while Malak means Angel (Arabic origin).
In US records, Iman first appears in 1975 and Malak in 1983, so Iman has the longer recorded history.