Mahala

I have a great great grandmother whose name was Mahala. I knew when I was 14 that if I ever had a daughter, that would be her name. My daughter is now 7 years old and I receive compliments on her name all the time. Most people assume her name is Hawaiian when they first hear it. (We pronounce it ma-hey-la) but because of the spelling a lot of people who read her name say ma-hah-la. She has never asked about her name or said one way or another but I hope she loves it and how unique it is as she grows older.

I love this name even though people pronounce it wrong sometimes, it doesn't really bother me. My mother decided to spell my name Mahalia instead of Mahala because she felt that it would be hard for me when I got older to spell my name with a lot of A's in it. Now that she looks back she wishes she would have spelt my name Mahayla even though the I in my name is silent. Most people do not understand that but I still love my name because it's a rare and unique name!

My name is Mahala and I love my name. So many people say it wrong, but I'm used to it. This name comes from India and it is also Native American. I personally think my name is a great name and think that other people should name their children this.

I found a GGG grandmother on ancestry.com that her name was Mahala. First I thought it was native American due to research. But my research has also found that it originated in Turkey and is used in some Eastern European countries and Hawaii.
I did a DNA test on Ancestry and had No Native American roots. But I did have some Eastern European roots and little North African.

When researching my family tree I found this was the name of my 3x great grandmother. I love it and wish I had known about it before as I might have chosen it for my daughter.

My lovely mother was Mahala Ann (Hall) Emrie, though some here say the name may have southeastern USA native American origins, she was part Native American, but the plains tribal group (Pawnee, Shawnee, etc.). Interestingly, she could really sing (like the famous Mahalia Jackson) and loved all kinds of music and played organ while singing in a small Baptist church. Gone at 52 in 1991, a really great mother, and friend, perhaps the name is more than just "woman"!

Nice enough name, but I like the variant 'Mahalia' better.

I like it. :) Cute. :)

I love the name Mahala. My mother almost named my sister Mahala, but she decided it sounds "too Hawaiian". I think it's pretty and special and rare; its lack of use is surprising considering the popularity of "Michaela" or "Makayla", which is so similar-sounding. It's an exotic, strong, beautiful name with a rich history, and I would definitely name my daughter Mahala, but my sister has already claimed it!

Someone in my family line had this name. Her husband, Jasper is my great x 9 grandfather (I think). He was Irish, and married Mahala, who was French. They are as far back as we can go! I think the name is beautiful!

This is a family name. It is my daughters name who was named after her paternal great-grandmother, who was American Indian (Eastern Shawnee). In researching this name I found it to be Hebrew/Bibical (Old Testament) and was a common name used among American Indians when Christianity was here. I have come across several elderly Indian ladies with this name and they were surprised I would use that name, but I told them that I thought it was beatiful. ...Connie