Unisex · #7,814 in 2026

Malin

Malin is a Swedish form of the feminine given name Magdalene. Notable people with the name include:Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian actress, model and singer Linn Berggren, former lead singer of the Swedish dance/pop band Ace of Base Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Swedish show jumper Malin Byström, Swedish operatic soprano Malin Crépin, Swedish actress Malin Danielsson, Swedish politician Malin…

  • Swedish
  • Norwegian
Current Rank
#7,814
Peak Rank
#2,679 (2012)
Total Babies
852
5-Yr Trend
-37%
👧 Girl peak #2,679 (852 total)
👦 Boy peak #6,344 (230 total)
👧As Girl Name
1974
First Year
2026
Last Year
2012
Peak Year
#2679
Peak Rank
852
Total Count
40
Years Active
👦As Boy Name
1935
First Year
2024
Last Year
2018
Peak Year
#6344
Peak Rank
230
Total Count
30
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Malin

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

Malin is a Swedish form of the feminine given name Magdalene. Notable people with the name include:Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian actress, model and singer Linn Berggren, former lead singer of the Swedish dance/pop band Ace of Base Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Swedish show jumper Malin Byström, Swedish operatic soprano Malin Crépin, Swedish actress Malin Danielsson, Swedish politician Malin…

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Swedish
  • Norwegian

The Story of Malin

As a girl name

Malin first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1974, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2012, when 66 Malins were born — ranking #2,679 that year. As of 2026, Malin ranks #7,814 for girls with 13 births, falling sharply (-37%). In total, more than 852 Malins have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.

As a boy name

Malin first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1935, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2018, when 13 Malins were born — ranking #6,344 that year. As of 2026, Malin ranks #8,287 for boys with 9 births, with steady use. In total, more than 230 Malins have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1930s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Malin

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Malin. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Where is Malin most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • Finland
    49%
  • United States
    19%
  • Sweden
    13%
  • Norway
    10%
  • Austria
    9%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Malin

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

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Malin

What does the name Malin mean?
Malin is a Swedish form of the feminine given name Magdalene. Notable people with the name include:Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian actress, model and singer Linn Berggren, former lead singer of the Swedish dance/pop band Ace of Base Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Swedish show jumper Malin Byström, Swedish operatic soprano Malin Crépin, Swedish actress Malin Danielsson, Swedish politician Malin…
What is the origin of the name Malin?
Malin has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Swedish, Norwegian.
How popular is Malin in 2026?
In 2026, Malin ranks #7,814 among girls' names in the U.S., with 13 babies given the name that year.
When was Malin most popular?
Malin reached its peak popularity in 2012, ranking #2,679 that year with 66 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Malin most popular?
Malin has historically been most popular in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Missouri. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Malin.
Is Malin a unisex name?
Yes — Malin is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 79% of Malins assigned female and 21% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Malin?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Malin include Corinn, Krissie, Shahidah. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Malin?
Common variants and related forms of Malin include Lena, Linn, Madeleine, Madelen, Magda, Magdalena. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Malin

Malin is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1974 and has accumulated 852 births in the dataset. Malin's peak popularity came in 2012 when it ranked #2,679. Use the chart and map above to compare Malin'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.