| Malka | Shira | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | queen | song |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MAHL-kah | SHEE-rah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1941 |
| Peak year | 2024 (264) | 2009 (159) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 79 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Malka | Shira |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,379 | 430 |
| 2010s | 1,755 | 861 |
| 2000s | 1,299 | 1,324 |
| 1990s | 856 | 988 |
| 1980s | 570 | 1,182 |
| 1970s | 353 | 650 |
| 1960s | 164 | 224 |
| 1950s | 110 | 131 |
| 1940s | 14 | 25 |
Hebrew 'malkah' (מלכה) means 'queen', from the Semitic root m-l-k. The Aramaic form appears in the Book of Daniel. Common as a traditional Jewish/Yiddish name.
Modern Hebrew shira, 'song, singing, poetry' (root sh-y-r). A popular contemporary given name; a concrete noun with no theophoric element.
Shira is more popular than Malka today: about 79 US babies were given the name Shira in 2025, compared with 0 named Malka.
Malka means queen (hebrew origin), while Shira means song (hebrew origin).
In US records, Malka first appears in 0 and Shira in 1941, so Malka has the longer recorded history.