| Malik | Amir | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | king | Prince, commander |
| Origin | arabic | Arabic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MAH-lik | ah-MEER |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1949 | 1954 |
| Peak year | 1996 (4,026) | 2024 (3,640) |
| In 2025 | 724 | 3,297 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Malik | Amir |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 4,755 | 20,129 |
| 2010s | 9,210 | 20,481 |
| 2000s | 14,766 | 8,869 |
| 1990s | 17,951 | 3,615 |
| 1980s | 1,427 | 1,843 |
| 1970s | 1,348 | 655 |
| 1960s | 139 | 144 |
| 1950s | 6 | 11 |
| 1940s | 5 | 0 |
Arabic 'malik' means 'king', from the Semitic root m-l-k ('to rule, to be king'). Al-Malik ('The King') is one of the names of God in Islam. Cognate with Hebrew 'melech'.
Amir is an Arabic name meaning “prince,” “ruler” or “commander.”
Amir is more popular than Malik today: about 3,297 US babies were given the name Amir in 2025, compared with 724 named Malik.
Malik means king (arabic origin), while Amir means Prince, commander (Arabic origin).
In US records, Malik first appears in 1949 and Amir in 1954, so Malik has the longer recorded history.