Declining since 1997, #7,194 for boys today.
Popularity of Malique since 1989
Babies named Malique per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 6 |
| 1990s | 661 |
| 2000s | 792 |
| 2010s | 371 |
| 2020s | 122 |
Meaning & origin
Malique is a modern American respelling of the classic Arabic name Malik, first recorded in U.S. data in 1989 during a wave of inventive name spellings. It reached its peak popularity in 1998, when it ranked highest among all years. Since 1997, however, usage has been declining: in the latest data from 2025, approximately 1 in 155,280 newborn boys received the name, placing it at rank 7,194. Though Malique has never consistently ranked among the top 1,000 names nationally, it saw its greatest use during the 1990s, a decade when many similar-sounding names like Malik and Jamal were also prominent.
Malique is a phonetic spelling variant of Malik, from the Arabic word malik ملك meaning 'king' or 'master'. The name has been used in Arabic-speaking and Muslim communities for centuries. This particular spelling emerged in the United States in the late 20th century as part of the trend of creative respellings of traditional names.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Lee, Mal, Keekee
Sibling names for Malique
Names that share Malique's style, for a brother or sister.
