Given name & surname
Mahala
“one who is powerful yet gentle”
Mahala is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “one who is powerful yet gentle.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “one who is powerful yet gentle.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mahala through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,889
- 0 boys · 2,889 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 74 babies
- 2025
- 15
- #7,359 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 15 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 7,359 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 12.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 74 in 2006. In 2025, Ohio had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,648 as a first name in 2020; 423 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mahala’s family of names
Mahala has a related form in Mahalia. Mahala has a related form in Mahalia. Mahala has a related form in Mahalah.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Mahala
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mahala, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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