Malinda
How to say it: muh-LIN-duh · /məˈlɪndə/
Variant of Melinda, a blend of Melissa (Greek: 'bee') and Linda (Germanic: 'gentle'). An 18th-century English coinage.
Malinda was the 1,145th most popular girls’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 59 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1880s, its births are down about 38% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #1,213 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among girls’ names, 2025 | #1,145 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 59 |
| Share of births | 1 in 21,252 |
| Peak decade | 1880s |
| Change over 10 years | −38% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #1,213 |
| In France, 2025 | #1,126 among girls’ names, 0 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Malinda peaked in the 1880s and is less common today.
What goes with it
Nicknames
- Mal
- Mindy
- Linda
Honouring a Malinda in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Malinda is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in English, Greek, Spanish.
In France: #1,126 for girls in 2025.
Famous people named Malinda
- Malinda Williams (born 1975)American actress
- Malinda Lo (born 1974)American writer of young adult novels
- Malinda Cramer (1844–1906)American writer
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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