Sophia Girl
soh-FEE-uh
“wisdom” · Greek
#5
Maha
GirlArabic· “oryx, a symbol of beautiful eyes”
- Meaning
- oryx, a symbol of beautiful eyes
- Origin
- Arabic
- Pronunciation
- MAH-hah
- Syllables
- 2
- US rank 2025
- #2,764
- US babies 2025
- 62
- Best rank
- #2,133 (2002)
- Peak year
- 2002
Meaning and origin of Maha
Maha is an Arabic name that is usually said to mean “oryx, a symbol of beautiful eyes”.
Maha is an Arabic name for the Arabian oryx, a white desert antelope, and more broadly for the wild cow of classical Arabic poetry. Poets compared a beloved's large dark eyes to those of the maha, so the name carries a sense of beauty rather than simply naming an animal. It is used across the Arab world and among Arab families abroad. In Sanskrit, maha means great, as in maharaja, but that is an unrelated word that happens to sound the same. It is said MAH-hah, with a light breath of h at the end in Arabic that English speakers usually drop.
Popularity over time
Maha first appears in US Social Security records in 1964. It has never ranked in the national top 1,000, which keeps it genuinely uncommon. Its best national rank was #2,133 in 2002, the same year it reached its highest count of 79 babies. In 2025, 62 babies were named Maha, and it ranked #2,764 nationally. That is 35% more than ten years earlier, so it is clearly on the rise.
Its national rank moved from #4,652 in 1980, #2,729 in 2000, #3,788 in 2010, and #2,764 in 2025. Of the 2,019 US girls named Maha since records began, 28% were born in the 2000s, its biggest decade. The 2010s come next, with 448 babies. Since 2010, 711 more have been named Maha.
Other girls' names that peaked around the same time include Eman, Dennise, Nadiya, Lakayla, and Noemy.
Where it is most popular (2025)
In 2025, Maha ranked highest in New York and Texas.
Gender, sound and spelling
In the US it is used almost only for girls.
Maha is usually pronounced MAH-hah, with two syllables. It has four letters, starts with M and ends in “-ha”.
Middle names for Maha
A few middle names that flow with Maha: each avoids a matching first letter, a rhyme and a vowel clash where the names meet.
Sibling names for Maha
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Lists that include Maha
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Maha mean?
Maha is an Arabic name that is usually said to mean “oryx, a symbol of beautiful eyes”.
What is the origin of the name Maha?
Maha has Arabic roots. Maha is an Arabic name for the Arabian oryx, a white desert antelope, and more broadly for the wild cow of classical Arabic poetry.
Is Maha a popular name?
Not especially. Maha ranked #2,764 in the US in 2025, which puts it outside the top 1,000.
Is Maha a boy or girl name?
Maha is mainly a girl's name. In the US it is used almost only for girls.
How do you pronounce Maha?
Maha is usually pronounced MAH-hah. Stressed syllables are in capital letters.
Popularity figures come from US Social Security card applications (names given to at least five babies in a year, 1880 to 2025). How we source names and meanings