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