Malay, of Arabic origin, signifies 'king'. It is often used in various forms across different cultures and languages, such as Malek in Arabic and Malik in Persian. The name Malay is derived from the root verb 'malaka', which means 'to possess' or 'to have power over'.
Over the span of nearly two decades, from 2005 to 2022, there were a total of 117 children named Malay born each year on average, with fluctuations ranging from a high of 16 births in 2007 down to a low of just 5 births in several recent years including 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, and most recently in 2022.