| Safa | Malak | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Purity, clarity, serenity | Angel |
| Origin | arabic | Arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | sah-FAH | MAL-ak |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1983 |
| Peak year | 2025 (249) | 2011 (210) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 137 |
| Trend | Rising | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Safa | Malak |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 984 | 760 |
| 2010s | 1,006 | 1,706 |
| 2000s | 627 | 1,146 |
| 1990s | 243 | 255 |
| 1980s | 71 | 27 |
| 1970s | 8 | 0 |
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.
Malak means “angel” in Arabic.
Malak is more popular than Safa today: about 137 US babies were given the name Malak in 2025, compared with 0 named Safa.
Safa means Purity, clarity, serenity (arabic origin), while Malak means Angel (Arabic origin).
In US records, Safa first appears in 0 and Malak in 1983, so Safa has the longer recorded history.