Malaika

Girl Names
1

I just encountered [name_f]Malaika[/name_f] for the first time, in the form of the [name_f]Miriam[/name_f] Makemba & [name_u]Harry[/name_u] Belafonte duet. It’s a beautiful song and music always inspires me. Another song that springs to mind is (Neighborhood #2) [name_f]Laika[/name_f] by Arcade [name_u]Fire[/name_u].

I’ve heard the name Malayka said ma-LAY-ka but never ma-LIE-ka. The name apparently means [name_u]Angel[/name_u] in Swahili but I don’t believe Nameberry has a page for it (yet)!

I have no connection to Swahili (let alone African) culture. Unless my future spouse does, I doubt I’ll be able to use this name in real life. There are plenty of English-speaking girls named [name_u]Angel[/name_u], [name_f]Angela[/name_f], or [name_f]Angeline[/name_f] but I have no idea what Malaika’s connotations are.

Could I use this name in a novel? Does anyone know a [name_f]Malaika[/name_f]? What do you all think of [name_f]Malaika[/name_f]? :innocent:

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2

[name_f]Malaika[/name_f] is bright, sharp and pretty - I like it! I think it would work well in a novel:)

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3

[name_f]Malaika[/name_f] is lovely!! It’s always been a GP for me since I feel it is very tied to its origins and I wouldn’t want to appropriate, however I think it’s beautiful and has a great sound!!

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4

Sadly I can’t like it (it sounds nearly identical to the most common swear word in Greek haha) but objectively the soft-then-sharp sound is cool and memorable, almost like an upgraded [name_f]Michaela[/name_f]! It also made me think of ‘balalaika’ right away but that’s not a bad association of course.

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