| Malka | Yael | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | queen | ibex, mountain goat |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MAHL-kah | yah-EL |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1954 |
| Peak year | 2024 (264) | 2022 (166) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 127 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Malka | Yael |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,379 | 842 |
| 2010s | 1,755 | 1,117 |
| 2000s | 1,299 | 884 |
| 1990s | 856 | 605 |
| 1980s | 570 | 522 |
| 1970s | 353 | 359 |
| 1960s | 164 | 154 |
| 1950s | 110 | 18 |
| 1940s | 14 | 0 |
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.
From Hebrew ya'el, 'ibex' — a nimble, sure-footed wild mountain goat. The same name as the heroine Jael, who killed Sisera (Judges 4-5). A concrete noun; the 'strength of God' gloss seen on some sites is not the standard derivation.
Yael is more popular than Malka today: about 127 US babies were given the name Yael in 2025, compared with 0 named Malka.
Malka means queen (hebrew origin), while Yael means ibex, mountain goat (hebrew origin).
In US records, Malka first appears in 0 and Yael in 1954, so Malka has the longer recorded history.