Girl · #2,196 in 2026

Mafalda

Name: Popularity of the name Mafalda in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Mafalda, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Mafalda is an Argentine comic strip written and drawn by cartoonist Quino. The strip features a six-year-old girl named Mafalda, who reflects the Argentine middle class and progressive youth, is concerned about humanity and world peace, and has an innocent but serious attitude toward problems. The comic strip ran from 1964 to 1973 and was very popular in Latin America, Europe, Quebec, and Asia.

Current Rank

#2,196

Peak Rank

#800 (1925)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1902

First Year

1937

Last Year

1925

Peak Year

#800

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Mafalda

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history

The entrance to a small residential building in Buenos Aires that stands close to the house where Quino lived humbly for 22 years. It was probably used as inspiration for Mafalda ' s home. Currently, there is a plaque honoring the cartoon. The comic strip artist Quino created Mafalda in 1963. He had received a proposal by fellow artist Miguel Brascó , and the comic strip would be a covert advertisement for the "Mansfield" line of products of the Siam Di Tella company. The characters would use their products, and all of them would have names starting with "M". The name "Mafalda" was selected as

The Story of Mafalda

Mafalda first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1902, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1925, when 85 Mafaldas were born — ranking #800 that year. As of 2026, Mafalda ranks #2,196 for baby girls with 14 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Mafaldas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Mafalda

Phonetically similar names — useful when Mafalda is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Muffled
Mayfield
Malda
Mafia
Matilda
Masala
Masada
Mathilda
Mafua
Melda
Milda
Moala

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mafalda

What does the name Mafalda mean?

How popular is Mafalda in 2026?

In 2026, Mafalda ranks #2,196 among girls' names in the U.S., with 14 babies given the name that year.

When was Mafalda most popular?

Mafalda reached its peak popularity in 1925, ranking #800 that year with 85 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Mafalda most popular?

Mafalda has historically been most popular in Rhode Island, New Jersey, Connecticut. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Mafalda.

Is Mafalda a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Mafalda is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Mafalda?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Mafalda include Phillis, Albert, Bernardine. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Mafalda

Mafalda is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1902 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Mafalda's peak popularity came in 1925 when it ranked #800. Use the chart and map above to compare Mafalda's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.