Malia is the Hawaiian form of Mary, which goes back through Greek and Latin to the Hebrew Miriam and is usually explained as "beloved" or "sea of bitterness". It was quietly used by Hawaiian families until Malia Obama, the elder daughter of President Barack Obama, brought it to national attention in 2008. In the United States Malia rose from number 499 in 2000 to a peak of number 192 in 2009 and ranks number 349 in 2025.