Malaika is the Swahili word for "angel", borrowed from the Arabic malak. The Swahili love song "Malaika", recorded by Miriam Makeba and many others, carried the name far beyond East Africa. In the United States it has remained a quiet choice, moving between number 2100 and 3100 since 2000, and it ranks number 2344 among girls' names in 2025.