Small or bitter
Maly is a rare name with multiple potential roots. In Khmer, it is a feminine name meaning 'flower'. In Slavic contexts, it is often a diminutive of names containing the root 'mal', meaning 'small', while in some European traditions it is viewed as a variant of Molly, which stems from Mary, meaning 'bitter'.
Less common today
Maly isn't in the latest US Top 1000. It last peaked at #5,785 in 1990.
US births per 5-year period, 1990βpresent (SSA data).
A character in the Grishaverse novels Β· Shadow and Bone