Mahaley
Feminine given name of uncertain meaning and origin.
Name Census estimates that about 319 living Americans carry the first name Mahaley. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mahaley today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mahaley births was 2004 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mahaley. 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.
People living today
319
~ 1 in 1,074,465 Americans
Peak year
2004
24 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2021 SSA rank
#16,764
Tracked since 1887
Popularity
Mahaley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mahaley from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 150 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mahaley 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 Mahaley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mahaleys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mahaley
The name Mahaley is of Hebrew origin, derived from the biblical name Machalath, which means "dance" or "dancing." It is a feminine form of the Hebrew word "machol," meaning "dance." The earliest known use of this name dates back to ancient Israel, where it was likely given to girls born to families associated with dancing or music.
In the Bible, the name Machalath appears in the title of Psalm 53, where it is believed to refer to a tune or melody used for that particular psalm. This suggests that the name may have been associated with musical or artistic traditions in ancient Israelite culture.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Mahaley was Mahaley ben Uzziel, a prominent Jewish scholar who lived in the 2nd century CE. He is known for his contributions to the study of the Mishnah, the first major work of rabbinic Judaism.
During the Middle Ages, the name Mahaley was occasionally used among Jewish communities in Europe, though it remained relatively uncommon. An example from this period is Mahaley ben Shlomo, a Jewish philosopher and commentator who lived in 13th century France.
In the 16th century, the name gained some popularity among Puritans in England, who were influenced by biblical names. One notable figure from this time was Mahaley Winthrop (1552-1615), the wife of the famous Puritan leader John Winthrop.
In the 18th century, the name Mahaley was used by some Quaker families in England and the American colonies. Mahaley Carey (1735-1809) was a Quaker minister and author from Pennsylvania, known for her writings on religious topics.
Another notable bearer of the name was Mahaley Edmondston (1793-1854), a Scottish author and poet who wrote extensively about her travels and observations of life in the Shetland Islands.
While the name Mahaley has never been extremely common, it has persisted throughout history, primarily among communities with connections to the Bible or religious traditions. Its origins in ancient Israel and its associations with dance, music, and artistic expression have contributed to its unique character and enduring appeal.
People
Mahaley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mahaley 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
Mahaley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mahaley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 319 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mahaley 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 1,074,465 US residents.
Is Mahaley a common name?
We classify Mahaley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 377 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mahaley most popular?
The single biggest year for Mahaley was 2004, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mahaley is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mahaley a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mahaley 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.
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.