NameRealm
Malinda

Malinda: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“sweet; dark”
Origin
English
Say it
muh-LIN-duh · 3 syllables
Used for
Girls

Malinda is generally treated as a variant of Melinda. Melinda is probably a coined or blended form influenced by names such as Melissa and Linda, with uncertain exact origin. The origin of this name is not settled among etymologists.

English namesAmerican namesNames meaning beautyVintage namesInternational names

How popular is Malinda?

202417.1 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Malinda in 202457

2024 rank#2,877 girls

Peak year1888

Total US babies since 188021,394

Malinda is steady now but far below its 1888 peak.

Names like Malinda

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Melindauncertain; possibly sweet or gentle · Unknown
  • Mindysweet · English
  • Oliviaolive tree · English
  • Evelyndesired; little bird · English
  • Harperharp player · English
  • Violetviolet flower · English
  • Hazelhazel tree · English
  • Ellieshort form of names ending in -el or -ella · English

Malinda questions

What does the name Malinda mean?

Malinda means "sweet; dark". It comes from English. Malinda is generally treated as a variant of Melinda. Melinda is probably a coined or blended form influenced by names such as Melissa and Linda, with uncertain exact origin.

Is Malinda a boy or girl name?

Malinda is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Malinda?

57 US babies were named Malinda in 2024. Its peak year was 1888.

How do you pronounce Malinda?

Malinda is usually pronounced muh-LIN-duh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.