Malisha
Feminine
Malisha is an American name of the later twentieth century, three syllables with a soft sh in the middle. It sits close to Melissa, to Alisha and to the Arabic Malika, and belongs to none of them.
How old is the name Malisha?
Malisha first appears in US birth records in 1964 — 61 years ago. The typical Malisha alive today was born around 1986, making them about 39 years old. About 600 people named Malisha are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Malisha most popular?
Malisha peaked in 1981, reaching #2305 nationally. See the whole 1981 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Malisha
Malisha has the sound of several names at once. It begins like Mary and Marla, flows through the middle of Melissa, and ends with the soft -isha of Alisha and Aisha. Change one letter and it becomes Malika, the Arabic word for a queen — but that meaning belongs to Malika, not to Malisha. What this name has is its own music: three syllables, a gentle rise in the middle, and nothing in it that is hard to say.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Malisha may join Ma- to the -lisha of Alisha, or bend Melissa, and nothing records which. It is one letter from the Arabic Malika, 'queen', but does not share that meaning.
Pronouncing Malisha
muh-LEE-shuh
Three syllables with the stress on the second.
Nicknames for Malisha
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1964
- Most girls named
- 198143 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2305reached in 1981
- Change vs 2021
- −16.7%5 in 2024, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Malishas among us
people named Malisha are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Malisha sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Easy to say once heard.
- Comes with Lisha as a ready short form.
- Rare, so a Malisha is unlikely to share her name.
- Malicia, Maleesha and Melisha are all likely guesses; it will need spelling out.
- Some ears will hear 'militia' in it; it seldom sticks.
- It has no documented meaning of its own.
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Malisha
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Malishas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Malisha are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Malisha in 2025?
- Malisha is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Malisha with classmates?
- Malisha will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Mary#125 · Margaret#112 · Michelle#465 · Melissa#419 · Maria#87 · Martha#712 · Marie#617 · Mildred#1962
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Malisha? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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