Bitter, beloved, or rebellious
Maleeyah is a modern phonetic spelling variant of Malia, which is the Hawaiian form of Mary. It carries the complex etymological roots of the Hebrew name Miriam, often interpreted as 'bitter' or 'beloved'. The addition of the 'h' at the end gives it a contemporary, stylized appearance popular in American naming trends.
Less common today
Maleeyah isn't in the latest US Top 1000. It last peaked at #7,255 in 2014.
US births per 5-year period, 1990–present (SSA data).
