Machla as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Machla

What is the meaning of the name Machla ?

The baby name Machla is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced MAHK-lah (Hebrew: /ˈmɑχ.lɑ/); anglicized: MAH-luh.

Machla is Hebrew in Origin.

Machla is a Hebrew biblical name (מַחְלָה, Maḥlah), known from the daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers and Joshua, whose petition for inheritance rights became a landmark narrative in Israelite law. The name circulated in Jewish communities over centuries, especially in Ashkenazic lands, where Yiddish forms such as Makhla or Makhle appear in records; it remained rare in wider Christian usage but resurged with modern interest in distinctive Tanakh names.

Its etymology traces to the Hebrew root ḥ-l-h, “to be ill,” related to maḥalah (“sickness”), so the literal sense is “illness,” though many modern bearers emphasize the story’s themes of justice and courage instead. Variants and transliterations include Machla, Mahlah, Mahla, Makhla, and Makhle; Modern Hebrew often stresses the final syllable. While attested once as a male name in 1 Chronicles 7:18, it is overwhelmingly feminine today. Related names from the same passage include Milcah, Hoglah, Noah, and Tirzah.

⚙ Machla is an extremely rare name. Across our dataset of national birth registries and international name records, Machla appears only 3 times in total — found in 3 countries. If you're considering it, you'd be giving your child a name almost nobody else has.