| Malia | Alani | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Calm, gentle | orange tree |
| Origin | Hawaiian | hawaiian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | muh-LEE-uh | uh-LAH-nee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1919 | 1978 |
| Peak year | 2009 (1,700) | 2025 (1,843) |
| In 2025 | 872 | 1,843 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Malia | Alani |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6,533 | 9,825 |
| 2010s | 11,140 | 6,166 |
| 2000s | 8,205 | 2,377 |
| 1990s | 2,477 | 355 |
| 1980s | 1,442 | 71 |
| 1970s | 1,027 | 5 |
| 1960s | 449 | 0 |
| 1950s | 323 | 0 |
| 1940s | 5 | 0 |
| 1910s | 5 | 0 |
Malia is a Hawaiian form of Mary, also associated with “calm” waters.
From Hawaiian 'alani', meaning 'orange tree' (and the color orange), also linked to a fragrant native tree whose leaves scented cloth. A separate, unrelated name Alana (Celtic) is sometimes confused with it.
Alani is more popular than Malia today: about 1,843 US babies were given the name Alani in 2025, compared with 872 named Malia.
Malia means Calm, gentle (Hawaiian origin), while Alani means orange tree (hawaiian origin).
In US records, Malia first appears in 1919 and Alani in 1978, so Malia has the longer recorded history.