Malin vs Nihal
Malin and Nihalcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2019, Malin was ranked #2728 and Nihal #1083 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Malin was ranked #3015 and Nihal #4192 among girls in England and Wales.
Malin and Nihal over time
Malin and Nihal appear together in 2 published lists, across 26 years of shared records. Nihal held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Malin in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Malin and Nihal changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Girls between 2008 and 2024, ending at #3015 and #4192.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys14 shared years, 1996–2019
Malin held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Nihal in 13.
Highest recorded here: Malin #2189 in 2003, Nihal #774 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Malin #2728, Nihal #1083.
England and Wales · Girls12 shared years, 2008–2024
Malin held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Nihal in 5.
Highest recorded here: Malin #2346 in 2023, Nihal #1545 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Malin #3015, Nihal #4192.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Malin | Nihal |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #167 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #721 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Malin and Nihal both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Malin
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #530 among girls in Norway in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in Norway, in 1998 (recorded 1966–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #167 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Nihal
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #2863 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #692 among boys in England and Wales, in 2013 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #4192 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls