Mali
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- MA-lee
- Origin
- Hebrew
- UK rank, 2025
- #347 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #3,902 for girls
Mali is a girls' name of Hebrew origin. In 2025 it ranked 347th for girls in the UK (137 babies) and 3,902nd for girls in the US (37 babies).
What does Mali mean?
Hebrew: Welsh pet form of Mary, via Molly
Welsh form of Molly, itself from Mary; separately, mali is the Thai word for jasmine.
Is Mali a girl's or a boy's name?
Mali is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 137 girls and 8 boys in the UK and 37 girls and 8 boys in the US.
How popular is Mali in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #347among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 137about 1 in 2,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 7% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 137 girls in the UK were named Mali, making it the 347th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 395th. 8 boys were also named Mali in 2025 (2,742nd for boys).
2025 had the most girls named Mali of any year since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Mali in the UK since 1996 were born between 2010 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among girls in 2025, it was 328th in England and Wales and 539th in Scotland.
Mali in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 137 | #347 |
| 2024 | 113 | #422 |
| 2023 | 114 | #406 |
| 2022 | 122 | #393 |
| 2021 | 88 | #519 |
| 2020 | 124 | #395 |
| 2019 | 121 | #396 |
| 2018 | 96 | #502 |
| 2017 | 89 | #526 |
| 2016 | 86 | #540 |
| 2015 | 81 | #574 |
| 2014 | 77 | #598 |
| 2013 | 95 | #491 |
| 2012 | 79 | #591 |
| 2011 | 73 | #608 |
| 2010 | 74 | #592 |
| 2009 | 76 | #565 |
| 2008 | 54 | #726 |
| 2007 | 55 | #688 |
| 2006 | 51 | #682 |
| 2005 | 57 | #624 |
| 2004 | 50 | #648 |
| 2003 | 47 | #668 |
| 2002 | 26 | #962 |
| 2001 | 27 | #910 |
| 2000 | 21 | #1,073 |
| 1999 | 24 | #975 |
| 1998 | 10 | #1,815 |
| 1997 | 21 | #1,053 |
| 1996 | 3 | #3,935 |
How popular is Mali in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,902among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 37about 1 in 43,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 4% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 37 girls in the US were named Mali, making it the 3,902nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,179th. Its busiest year was 2008, with 65 girls. It first appears in the records in 1967. 8 boys were also named Mali in 2025 (8,906th for boys).
2025 had fewer girls named Mali than any year since 2018.
Half of all the girls named Mali in the US since 1880 were born between 2003 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 82% of the babies named Mali in the US were girls.
Mali in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 37 | #3,902 |
| 2024 | 43 | #3,575 |
| 2023 | 59 | #2,852 |
| 2022 | 46 | #3,415 |
| 2021 | 48 | #3,296 |
| 2020 | 49 | #3,179 |
| 2019 | 64 | #2,681 |
| 2018 | 32 | #4,356 |
| 2017 | 44 | #3,478 |
| 2016 | 37 | #3,996 |
| 2015 | 41 | #3,704 |
| 2014 | 52 | #3,135 |
| 2013 | 43 | #3,571 |
| 2012 | 48 | #3,363 |
| 2011 | 48 | #3,349 |
| 2010 | 42 | #3,688 |
| 2009 | 52 | #3,188 |
| 2008 | 65 | #2,773 |
| 2007 | 46 | #3,530 |
| 2006 | 37 | #3,991 |
| 2005 | 43 | #3,457 |
| 2004 | 35 | #3,985 |
| 2003 | 55 | #2,797 |
| 2002 | 29 | #4,276 |
| 2001 | 24 | #4,829 |
| 2000 | 28 | #4,286 |
| 1999 | 26 | #4,309 |
| 1998 | 15 | #6,355 |
| 1997 | 20 | #5,006 |
| 1996 | 14 | #6,387 |
| 1995 | 15 | #5,953 |
| 1994 | 11 | #7,598 |
| 1993 | 9 | #8,712 |
| 1992 | 13 | #6,645 |
| 1991 | 10 | #7,980 |
| 1990 | 6 | #11,403 |
| 1989 | 8 | #8,755 |
| 1988 | 11 | #6,661 |
| 1987 | 7 | #8,773 |
| 1986 | 9 | #7,130 |
| 1985 | 10 | #6,455 |
| 1984 | 5 | #10,417 |
| 1983 | 6 | #9,013 |
| 1982 | 8 | #7,467 |
| 1981 | 12 | #5,570 |
| 1980 | 5 | #10,390 |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 8 | #6,946 |
| 1977 | 9 | #6,338 |
| 1976 | 5 | #9,282 |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 5 | #8,773 |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 5 | #8,322 |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 7 | #5,456 |
Names like Mali
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Safa Zainab Raya Ayah Hafsa Aaliyah Maya Hiba Hawa Ayla Summer Amira
Names related to Mali
Malia Maliha Maliya Maliah Maelie Mallie Mala Maily Mael Mayeli Maleia Maila
More Hebrew names
Noah Isabella Elijah James Jack Mia Ava Jude Ezra Benjamin Isaac Jacob Ethan Daniel Samuel Elias
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, “Mali: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/mali, updated 20 October 2026.