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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: SandraC on Monday 27 February 06 18:20 GMT (UK)
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Hi All
I have found this name three times today but never before. Two occurrences in the new branch of my tree & the third in the same village in Kent.
Does anyone know anything about this name or is it common really & I have failed to notice?
First occurrence in baptism in 1827 in Ash near Dartford, Kent - Mahala King.
Second occurrence in census in 1871 in Ash, Kent - Mahala Field [b 1866]. This one is not a rellie [well I don't think so anyway]!
Third occurence in census in 1871 in Ridley, Kent [next village] - Mahala King [b 1863], niece of original Mahala.
I'm intrigued as I thought it was Michaela but the baptismal record is quite clear.
Any ideas?
Regards
SandraC
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there are quite a few explanations for this name and its origin one is ''sick or feeble'', another is simply ''woman'' it could be n american indian or hebrew or lots more, there are quite a few pages on google for you to look at, kali.
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Hi Sandrac,
Welcome to the club.....there are a few Mahalas in our tree, all in the Patten family.....it seems to be fairly popular in Essex.
Joe
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I have Mahala Abbott in my tree, she was born in Hoxne Suffolk in 1821 but sadly died aged 11 in 1832.
I discovered her a long time ago and always loved the name. According to my baby names book it is means tenderness.
Pinetree
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Mahala, Hebrew for tenderness as found in the Old Testament, Numbers 26:33. It was used fairly regularly in the C19th as were many other Old Testament names. They were particularly popular amongst non-conformists.
Regards
Valda
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Hi everyone
Thanks for the replies.
It just seemed a bit strange when all the other family names were very plain - Richard, Sarah, William, Thomas, Mary, Ann, Jane, John & Mahala!
I found the 1827 Mahala's baptism but nothing subsequent - she is not on the 1841 census with the parents & other sibs. Perhaps, sadly, the "sick / feeble" definition was appropriate :'(
Thanks again - I was beginning to think it was a Kentish thing [or is it a thing of Kent - I can never remember the rule about the Medway] ;D
Regards
SandraC
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The 1851 census has nearly 1,300 Mahalas, and by 1861 over 1,500. The name is on the wane by 1901. They seem to be spread right across the country.
Regards
Valda
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That's interesting.My Seale family in Kent and Lade family in Sussex are well endowed with Mahalas.I had never heard the name before and wondered if it was a Quaker name?.We have a lot of Philadelphias too,which I think I read on here, has Quaker origins.Though as far as I know,nearly everyone was C of E.
Barbara
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Hi All
I went back to have a look for the missing Mahala & found her alive & well in 1851 & 1861 [with a family, including a daughter called Mahala]. So I take it back about being sickly :D
Interesting to see the trends in names - what will future generations make of Kylie & Chardonnay I wonder ;D
SandraC
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In the middle of the 19th century there was a very popular novel called Mahalah which was set in Mersea Island, Essex, which is why it is particularly common in North East Essex.
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Think there was also a famous American blues singer called Mahalah Jackson but she was in the 20th century.
Jean
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I have a Mahala Cain in Codicote in Hertfordshire and I'd never heard of it before, in fact the local History Society seemed to think it was a male name until I found the baptism.
I love the meaning Tenderness, I wonder if she was a sickly baby, she did die a young child.
It could just come back into fashion if we promote it enough!
Mary
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Just discovered Mahala in my family tree. This was my great grandmother Florence Mahala Cowie (nee Goodchild) she was married in Woodbridge, Suffolk. Wondered where the name came from as I had never heard of it before.
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On one census (the 1841 I think), my GGG Grandmother's name was down as Mayhala, but her name was actually Mabel.
Andrew
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Hi
I also have this name twice in my family tree, also from Essex around the early 1800's. Variations on the spelling include Mahalia and Mahala. There is also a daughter Septemmia who changed her name to Emma when she was a servant and Mahalia changed to Rachael although I havent as yet determined which of these names either was born with.
I had thought that Mahalia sounded kind of Indian but obviously there are British origins.
K
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My ggg-grandmother Mahala LEE was born in Pebmarsh, Essex in abt 1818. As others have said, Mahala seems to have occurred reasonably frequently in the 19th century - odd that it seems to have retreated into such obscurity!
Anna
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This is the closest I could find:
Mahalia (F) English: apparenly a cross between the two biblical masculine personal names Mahali (Exodus 6:19) and Mahalah (1 Chronicles 7:18), both fleetingly mentioned in genealogies
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We have quite a few Mahala's in our tree that have been repeated down through the generations as both christian and middle names.. and I intend to continue the tradition as I have always loved the name! I'm wondering if anyone out there (especially UK RCs) have a preferred way of pronouncing it? I have always said it as "Ma-hay-la" but have also heard that some say "Ma-har-la" and some simply "May-la".
FYI my first Mahala was Mahala Kent from Wivenhoe, Essex which fits in with the geography and timelines from previous entries on this thread.
Anyone got any ideas how it would've been pronounced back in Essex in 1833?
Cheers!
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Hi
I have an Mahala PERRY born c1804 in Colchester Essex. Really like the name! :)
I was told by distant relatives I found, these Perry's descended from French Huguenots.
I have not been able to verify it yet but did wonder if the the name was of French origin?
Reading this interesting thread seems not.
Reyz
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In my Husband's Family tree...... Rutley's of kent. there is a Mahala just wanted to add my penny worth ;)
Ginny
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I have two Mahalas. My great Grandmother and Great Great Grandmother. Both from the IOW. I always thought the name was Irish. Obviously not.
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We have two in our Family tree..
Also a Zillah !
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In trying to find an ancestor using the sideways method I came across this name once again.
I used IGI to see if there were anymore so I could look for a link and found over 1000 references to Mahala in Lincolnshire alone ( so maybe 280-340 ) in the year range 1700-1850.
Mahala Brighton was born to George and Patience Brighton in Long Sutton in 1807. I will now go look at Non-Conforming records for Georges birth( I have his marriage and death). I quite like the name Mahala. :)
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Mahala is a Hebrew name, as is Zillah. I expect it's from the Old Testament if they are a non-Jewish family. It means 'tender'. I think it must have been decided that the correct transliteration was Mahla, as that's more common now. I know a Mahla but have never come across a Mahala.
Rachel Perry (London and Essex)
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There is also a daughter Septemmia who changed her name to Emma when she was a servant and Mahalia changed to Rachael although I havent as yet determined which of these names either was born with.
Some employers renamed a servant who had an unusual name.
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My wife's g grandmother was Lucy Mahala Greaves(Grieves) from Brancaster, Norfolk ; in one or two documents shown as Amelia- no doubt due to pronounciation difficulties as they moved from Norfolk to South Shields.
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I wonder how Mahala was pronounced?
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Think there was also a famous American blues singer called Mahalah Jackson but she was in the 20th century.
Jean
Another Mahalia is Mahalia Burkmar, British-Jamaican singer.