Malaya is a Filipino name from the Tagalog word malaya, which means "free". It was also the historical name of the Malay Peninsula, now part of Malaysia, which gives it a touch of the tropics; in the United States it fits in with Malia, Amaya and Alaya. Malaya entered the top 1000 in 2009, peaked at number 633 in 2013 and ranks number 775 in 2025.