| Malika | Safa | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | queen | Purity, clarity, serenity |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | mah-LEE-kah | sah-FAH |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1996 (183) | 2025 (249) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Vintage | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Malika | Safa |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 459 | 984 |
| 2010s | 729 | 1,006 |
| 2000s | 740 | 627 |
| 1990s | 1,377 | 243 |
| 1980s | 813 | 71 |
| 1970s | 819 | 8 |
| 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.
Safa (صفا / صفاء, safa') derives from the root s-f-w and means 'purity, clarity, serenity'. It is also the name of Al-Safa, one of the two hills in Mecca (with Al-Marwah) between which pilgrims walk during the Hajj and Umrah.
Malika and Safa are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Malika means queen (arabic origin), while Safa means Purity, clarity, serenity (arabic origin).
In US records, Malika first appears in 0 and Safa in 0, so Malika has the longer recorded history.