Malena

Did you know?

A few things about Malena you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Malena

Malena Alterio

Italian-Argentine-Spanish actress

Choose Malena and your child shares a first name with Malena Alterio, an Italian-Argentine-Spanish actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Malena, like who?” Malena Alterio's Wikipedia article is available in 22 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Malena Alterio on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Pedro J Pacheco, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 19,841 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Malena, 81 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Malena would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryMalena first shows up in US birth records in 1886, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 139 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1886, when it reached #993.
• 🚀TrendMalena has climbed 523 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #2,256. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedMalena is most popular in Pennsylvania, where it ranks #927. It's in the top 1,000 in 1 state.
• 💬MeaningMalena is a Swedish form of Magdalena, which means “woman from Magdala”. Our records link it to Scandinavian and Swedish roots.
• 🌍OriginMalena is the #4 most popular Swedish girl name in the US. That's out of 39 Swedish girl and unisex names in our list.

About the name Malena

Malena is a girl name of Scandinavian and Swedish origin meaning “woman from Magdala”. It has 6 letters and 3 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-ena”. US birth records list Malena for girls from 1886 to 2025, in 76 of those 140 years. Its best year was 1886, when it ranked #993 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #2,256, with 81 babies.

Origin:Scandinavian namesSwedish names