Mahalia
Feminine
Mahalia comes from a Hebrew name whose meaning has been argued in two opposite directions for a very long time. One reading makes it sickness. The other makes it a dance, or the music you dance to.
How old is the name Mahalia?
Mahalia was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Mahalia alive today was born around 1998, making them about 27 years old. About 2,000 people named Mahalia are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Mahalia most popular?
Mahalia peaked in 1881, reaching #830 nationally. Today it ranks #3067, 2,237 places below that high. See the whole 1881 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Machlah to Mahalia
The story of Mahalia
Mahalath appears in Genesis as a wife of Esau and elsewhere as a wife of Rehoboam; Machlah is one of the five daughters of Zelophehad who argue their inheritance case before Moses and win. English Puritans took the name up along with the rest of the Hebrew stock and it crossed to America with them. It has been particularly at home in African-American families since the nineteenth century, where it is strongly associated with gospel music.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The Hebrew name behind it is Mahalath or Machlah, and two roots compete. Chalah, 'to be weak or sick', gives an unhappy reading. Machol, 'a dance', and the related word for a stringed instrument or a choir give a much better one — Psalm headings use mahalath as a musical term nobody has fully explained. Neither has carried, and the name genuinely means either.
How the name formed
- Machlah
- Mahalath
- Mahalia
Related forms: Machlah · Mahala · Mahalath
Pronouncing Mahalia
muh-HAY-lee-ah
Four syllables with the stress on the second. Hebrew says ma-cha-LAT, with a throat consonant in the middle and the stress at the end — a noticeably different name by ear.
Nicknames for Mahalia
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 202065 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #830reached in 1881
- Change vs 2023
- +6.0%53 in 2025, from 50
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Mahalia in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Machlah in Hebrew — related form
- Mahala in English — spelling variant
- Mahalath in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Mahalias among us
people named Mahalia are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 30,326 born in 2025 was named Mahalia
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Mahalia sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Mahalia is headed
Mahalia should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Mahalia beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Mahalia in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented biblical name with an unusually interesting argument about its meaning.
- Halie and Maha are both natural short forms and both are names of their own.
- Four syllables give it real presence, with everyday forms available.
- Its meaning is genuinely split between sickness and music, which is a wide gap.
- Mahalia, Mahala, Mahalie and Mahaliah all circulate and none is standard.
- Four syllables is long for daily use and the name will usually be shortened.
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What they receive
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Mahalia
Feminine · #3067 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Mahalias are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,000 people named Mahalia are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Mahalia in 2025?
- Mahalia ranks #3067 among US girl names in 2025, with 53 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Mahalia?
- About 1 in every 30,326 US girls born in 2025 was named Mahalia — 53 in all.
- Will my child share the name Mahalia with classmates?
- Mahalia will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Mahalia
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Xitlaly#3067 · Finlee#3067 · Evany#3067 · Stacey#3067 · Mahnoor#3067 · Fabiola#3067 · Anissa#3067 · Melodi#3067
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Mahalia? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Mahalia and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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