Malachy
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- MAL-a-kee
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,080 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #8,239 for boys
- Style
- Big in Northern Ireland
Malachy is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “devotee of St Maedoc”. In 2025 it ranked 1,080th for boys in the UK (30 babies) and 8,239th for boys in the US (9 babies).
What does Malachy mean?
Irish: anglicised form of Irish Mael Maedoc, linked with Malachi
“devotee of St Maedoc”
St Malachy, a 12th-century Archbishop of Armagh, was born Mael Maedoc; the name was later linked with the prophet Malachi.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Malachy a girl's or a boy's name?
Malachy is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 30 boys in the UK and 9 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Malachy in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,080th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 30 about 1 in 10,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 30 boys in the UK were named Malachy, making it the 1,080th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,007th. Its busiest year was 2009, with 90 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Malachy than any year since 2002.
Half of all the boys named Malachy in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 337 boys in the UK were given Malachy or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #185, up from #1,080 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,358th in England and Wales and 199th in Northern Ireland.
Malachy in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 30 | #1,080 |
| 2024 | 34 | #984 |
| 2023 | 36 | #950 |
| 2022 | 32 | #1,024 |
| 2021 | 41 | #858 |
| 2020 | 31 | #1,007 |
| 2019 | 40 | #845 |
| 2018 | 42 | #842 |
| 2017 | 38 | #901 |
| 2016 | 60 | #660 |
| 2015 | 55 | #688 |
| 2014 | 60 | #646 |
| 2013 | 59 | #640 |
| 2012 | 74 | #549 |
| 2011 | 74 | #537 |
| 2010 | 85 | #480 |
| 2009 | 90 | #464 |
| 2008 | 78 | #506 |
| 2007 | 79 | #479 |
| 2006 | 72 | #488 |
| 2005 | 85 | #396 |
| 2004 | 53 | #543 |
| 2003 | 72 | #398 |
| 2002 | 30 | #707 |
| 2001 | 20 | #913 |
| 2000 | 15 | #1,057 |
| 1999 | 5 | #2,184 |
| 1998 | 12 | #1,180 |
| 1997 | 14 | #1,066 |
| 1996 | 7 | #1,652 |
How popular is Malachy in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 8,239th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 9 about 1 in 190,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 11% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 9 boys in the US were named Malachy, making it the 8,239th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,694th. Its busiest year was 2002, with 35 boys. It first appears in the records in 1897.
2025 had fewer boys named Malachy than any year since 1997.
Half of all the boys named Malachy in the US since 1880 were born between 1999 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 4,402 boys in the US were given Malachy or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #86, up from #8,239 for this spelling alone.
Malachy in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #8,239 |
| 2024 | 15 | #5,899 |
| 2023 | 18 | #5,250 |
| 2022 | 18 | #5,211 |
| 2021 | 16 | #5,557 |
| 2020 | 20 | #4,694 |
| 2019 | 16 | #5,551 |
| 2018 | 11 | #7,132 |
| 2017 | 18 | #5,107 |
| 2016 | 24 | #4,198 |
| 2015 | 14 | #5,995 |
| 2014 | 19 | #4,862 |
| 2013 | 19 | #4,801 |
| 2012 | 11 | #7,044 |
| 2011 | 15 | #5,670 |
| 2010 | 27 | #3,811 |
| 2009 | 17 | #5,332 |
| 2008 | 25 | #4,041 |
| 2007 | 27 | #3,791 |
| 2006 | 22 | #4,219 |
| 2005 | 19 | #4,459 |
| 2004 | 21 | #4,124 |
| 2003 | 31 | #3,040 |
| 2002 | 35 | #2,681 |
| 2001 | 28 | #3,138 |
| 2000 | 16 | #4,567 |
| 1999 | 16 | #4,336 |
| 1998 | 13 | #4,868 |
| 1997 | 9 | #6,094 |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 7 | #6,985 |
| 1994 | 7 | #6,962 |
| 1993 | 6 | #7,631 |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 5 | #6,945 |
| 1986 | 6 | #5,920 |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 5 | #6,311 |
| 1983 | 5 | #6,234 |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 8 | #4,401 |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 9 | #3,368 |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 5 | #4,135 |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 6 | #3,650 |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 7 | #3,255 |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 6 | #3,328 |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 8 | #2,861 |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 6 | #3,174 |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 5 | #3,761 |
| 1930 | 5 | #3,999 |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 5 | #4,199 |
| 1925 | 5 | #4,195 |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 5 | #4,320 |
| 1920 | 5 | #4,284 |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 5 | #4,178 |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 0 | – |
| 1915 | 0 | – |
| 1914 | 5 | #3,263 |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 0 | – |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 0 | – |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 0 | – |
| 1897 | 5 | #1,056 |
Nicknames for Malachy
- Mal
Names like Malachy
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Rafferty, Marley, Brody, Cody, Mason, Riley, Finn, Matteo, Elijah, Rowan, Aiden, Maximus
Other spellings of Malachy
Names related to Malachy
More Irish names
Oscar, Rory, Maeve, Ryan, Nolan, Quinn, Orla, Erin, Ronan, Connor, Declan, Casey, Kennedy, Callan, Lennon, Cillian
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Malachy: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/malachy, updated 20 October 2026.