Mahalia
Girl name · #3068 in 2025 · Uniqueness 79/100
Mahalia is currently the #3068 girl name in the United States — 53 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #4144, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 33,962 girls born in 2025 was named Mahalia.
Babies named Mahalia per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Mahalia first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2020, when 65 girls were named Mahalia — good for #2597 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Mahalia against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Mahalia in class?
Mahalia scores 79 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Mahalia will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Mahalia is most common
State-level data for Mahalia is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Mahalia
Statistically, parents drawn to Mahalia tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Kahlia, Khalia, Odelia, Azalia, and Lillia.
KahliaKhaliaOdeliaAzaliaLilliaMeliaIdaliaAdelia
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Mahalia | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 53 | #3067 |
| 2024 | 51 | #3119 |
| 2023 | 50 | #3225 |
| 2022 | 56 | #2956 |
| 2021 | 57 | #2929 |
| 2020 | 65 | #2597 |
| 2019 | 47 | #3337 |
| 2018 | 47 | #3346 |
| 2017 | 42 | #3627 |
| 2016 | 38 | #3923 |
| 2015 | 35 | #4144 |
| 2014 | 30 | #4657 |
| 2013 | 48 | #3314 |
| 2012 | 27 | #5114 |
| 2011 | 34 | #4244 |
| 2010 | 39 | #3889 |
| 2009 | 38 | #4013 |
| 2008 | 40 | #3936 |
| 2007 | 40 | #3918 |
| 2006 | 50 | #3264 |
| 2005 | 40 | #3646 |
| 2004 | 37 | #3819 |
| 2003 | 40 | #3532 |
| 2002 | 52 | #2854 |
| 2001 | 42 | #3256 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Mahalia a popular girl name?
Mahalia ranked #3068 among girls in 2025 with 53 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4144.
When was the name Mahalia most popular?
Mahalia peaked in 2020, when 65 American girls received the name (ranked #2597 that year). Since 2020 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Mahalia?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 33,962 newborn American girls was named Mahalia. It scores 79/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.