the toponym is first recorded as a plural in the name "frougovi vlasi". the form "vlaj" is an old accusative occurring as a plural in "vlahy"> "vlahi"> "vlai"> "vlaj" and these forms stemmed from "vla(s)hci" meaning residents from the village "vlas(c)i". the "c" sound in vlahci was assimilated over time becoming "vlaj" and the toponym is related to vlachs. with the loss of the grammatical case in the macedonian language, the toponym "vlaj" was no longer understood in the plural, instead in the singular. the adjective "мали/mali" meaning "small" contained in the names of some villages is usually used if there is an opposition to a larger settlement with the word "голем/golem" meaning "big" or in toponyms without an additive. nearby there is no appropriate toponym with the adjective "large" in modern times, yet it is possible that this settlement is in opposition to the village "rëmenj" on the albanian side of lake ohrid meaning vlachs (aromanians). in the albanian language, mali vlaj is known by the forms "ërmas" and "ermëz", meaning vlachs.