The fastest-rising baby name of 2018, in terms of a relative increase, was Maleni (pronounced mah-LEH-nee). The name Maleni was given to 6 baby girls in 2017, then shot up to a whopping 63 baby girls the next year.
What gave it a boost?
Maleni Cruz, one half of Insta-famous Brooklyn couple Chicklet and Maleni, who together had a breakout year in 2018.
Most Instagram feeds are carefully curated and filtered, but Chicklet and Maleni’s feeds feature funny clips of the pair butting heads (sometimes viciously) over everything from phone etiquette to the fact that they still live in Chicklet’s mom’s house. As one writer put it, Chicklet and Maleni “accumulated millions of fans by embracing everything you’re not supposed to be on social media.”
I think it’s particularly interesting to compare the rise of the name Maleni from 2017 to 2018 with the drop of the similar-sounding, FLOTUS-associated name Melania over the same stretch of time:
What are your thoughts on the name Maleni?
*Chicklet’s real name is Steven Negron.
Source: When this Instagram couple has vicious fights, millions of people tune in