Declining since 2010, #5,917 for girls today.
Popularity of Maleigha since 1991
Babies named Maleigha per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 87 |
| 2000s | 479 |
| 2010s | 692 |
| 2020s | 224 |
Meaning & origin
Maleigha is a modern invented name that first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1991, making it a relatively recent addition to the American naming landscape. Its peak popularity came in 2009, after which its usage has been on a gradual decline; since 2010, the trajectory has been falling. The name never cracked the top 1000 in any year, and it saw no concentration in any particular state (topStates is empty). With a current rank of 5917 and a 1-in-80363 incidence rate, Maleigha remains a rare and creative choice. The name follows the pattern of phonetic spellings that add the popular '-leigha' ending, which was common in the 2000s. Overall, Maleigha is an example of how American parents have combined familiar sounds with trendy suffixes to create distinctive new names.
Maleigha is a modern coinage that emerged in the United States in the early 1990s. It is a respelling or variation of names like 'Malia', combined with the popular suffix '-leigha', which itself derives from the Old English word 'leah' meaning 'woodland clearing'. The name has no historical or traditional etymology, but follows a pattern of creative phonetic spelling.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Mal, Leigh, Maley
Sibling names for Maleigha
Names that share Maleigha's style, for a brother or sister.
