Malika is the Arabic word for "queen", the feminine of malik, "king", and is widely used from Morocco to Pakistan and East Africa; in India it is also linked to the Sanskrit mallika, "jasmine". The name has been steady in the United States, peaking at number 1,656 in 2000 and hovering between number 2,100 and 2,900 since; in 2025 it ranks number 2,711 with 64 births.