Mahlia
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "bitter" or "sorrow".
Name Census estimates that about 591 living Americans carry the first name Mahlia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mahlia today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mahlia births was 2009 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mahlia. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Mahlia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
591
~ 1 in 579,957 Americans
Peak year
2009
43 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,286
Tracked since 1991
Census
Mahlia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 483 people with the first name Mahlia, which placed it at #21,136 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#21,136
National first-name rank
People counted
483
483 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
31.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahlia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mahlia is Black at 31.3%. The next largest groups are White (23.4%) and Two or More Races (20.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mahlia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mahlia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American31.3% · 151
- White23.4% · 113
- Two or more races20.1% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino17.8% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 11
Popularity
Mahlia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mahlia from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 266 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mahlia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mahlia by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mahlia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mahlias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Florida, Texas recorded the most babies named Mahlia, while Texas, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mahlia
The name Mahlia is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Arabic name Maliah, which itself is derived from the root word "malih" meaning "beautiful" or "pretty". The name likely emerged in the Middle East and North Africa during the medieval period.
While the exact origins of the name are obscure, some historians suggest that it may have been inspired by references to beauty found in ancient Arabic poetry and literature. However, there are no definitive records of the name appearing in major historical or religious texts from the region during this time.
The earliest known use of the name Mahlia dates back to the 12th century, when it was recorded as the name of a woman living in the city of Fez, Morocco. Interestingly, this individual was noted for her exceptional beauty and charm, lending credence to the theory that the name is linked to concepts of attractiveness.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Mahlia. One of the most famous was Mahlia al-Qudsi, a renowned 13th-century poet and scholar from Damascus, Syria, who was celebrated for her eloquent verses and contributions to Arabic literature. Another notable figure was Mahlia bint Bashir, a 15th-century military leader from Yemen who played a pivotal role in defending her city against foreign invaders.
In the 17th century, Mahlia Khatun was a powerful Iranian noblewoman and political figure who wielded significant influence during the Safavid dynasty. She was known for her intelligence, diplomacy, and ability to navigate the complex power dynamics of the era.
More recently, Mahlia Amatina was a 19th-century Egyptian feminist and activist who campaigned tirelessly for women's rights and education. Her writings and speeches helped to inspire a generation of women to fight for equality and social reform.
Another notable figure was Mahlia Fazli, a 20th-century Afghan writer and poet who gained recognition for her poignant works that explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Her poetry continues to be widely read and celebrated in Afghanistan and beyond.
People
Mahlia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mahlia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mahlia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mahlia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 591 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mahlia going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 579,957 US residents.
Is Mahlia a common name?
We classify Mahlia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 597 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mahlia most popular?
The single biggest year for Mahlia was 2009, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mahlia is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mahlia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 483 people with the name Mahlia, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,136 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mahlia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mahlia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mahlia appears almost entirely female. Of the 489 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mahlia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mahlia is Black at 31.3%. The next largest groups are White (23.4%) and Two or More Races (20.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mahlia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Mahlia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 31.3% (151 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mahlia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mahlia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mahlia in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mahlia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mahlia in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mahlia can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Mahlia as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.