Mahalah as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Mahalah

What is the meaning of the name Mahalah ?

The baby name Mahalah is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced mah-HAH-lah (approx. IPA: /məˈhɑːlə/).

Mahalah is Hebrew in Origin.

Mahalah is a feminine biblical name stemming from Hebrew Mahlah/Mahalath. In the Hebrew Bible, Mahlah is one of the five daughters of Zelophehad who petition for inheritance rights, while Mahalath appears as a personal name and in psalm headings. Etymology points to the Semitic root h-l-h “to be weak/ill,” so scholarly glosses include “sickness” or “frailty”; in devotional and modern name literature it is often softened to “tenderness,” “gentleness,” or interpreted as “forgiveness.” Pronunciation is typically mah-HAH-lah.

Carried into English through the King James Bible, the name found modest use among Puritans and in 18th–19th‑century America, then faded into rarity. Variants and related forms include Mahala, Mahlah, Mahalath, Mahalat, and the elaboration Mahalia; diminutives like Hallie or Mally sometimes occur. Note that the similar-looking Arabic/Turkish word mahallah/mahalle (“quarter, neighborhood”) is a separate term unrelated to the Hebrew personal name.