| Iman | Malika | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Faith, belief | queen |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ee-MAHN | mah-LEE-kah |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1975 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1996 (178) | 1996 (183) |
| In 2025 | 91 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Iman | Malika |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 561 | 459 |
| 2010s | 1,040 | 729 |
| 2000s | 1,555 | 740 |
| 1990s | 1,395 | 1,377 |
| 1980s | 481 | 813 |
| 1970s | 92 | 819 |
| 1960s | 0 | 30 |
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.
Arabic 'malika' is the feminine of 'malik', meaning 'queen', from the same Semitic root m-l-k. A literal 'queen' name across the Arabic-speaking world.
Iman is more popular than Malika today: about 91 US babies were given the name Iman in 2025, compared with 0 named Malika.
Iman means Faith, belief (arabic origin), while Malika means queen (arabic origin).
In US records, Iman first appears in 1975 and Malika in 0, so Malika has the longer recorded history.