Name Maila Origin, meaning, pronunciation & popularity of the name Maila

Maila is a ♀ girl’s name.

What is the origin of the name Maila?

Maila has two Scandinavian origins. For the Norwegians, Maila is a form of the name Magla, which goes back to the Old High German name Maginhild. For the Finnish and Estonian people, Maila is a diminutive of Maria and at the same time the name for a (tennis or ice hockey) racket. Besides, Maila is an Arabic name.

What does the name Maila mean?

Maila means “strength in battle” in Norwegian (from Old High German “magan/megin” = strength/power + “hiltja” = battle) and “sea of bitterness”, “drop of the sea”, “star of the sea”, “rebelliousness”, “exalted one” and “wished for child” (from Maria). In Arabic, Maila means “hope” (from “ʾamal/أَمَل”).

Other variants

Maila can also be spelled Mayla or Majla. A male variant is Mailo. Anagrams for Maila are Alima, Amali, Amila, Laima, Lamai, Lamia, Malia and Miala.

Nicknames

Popular nicknames for Maila are Mai, Maili, Mea and Milli.

Famous people named Maila

• American actress Maila Nurmi (1922 - 2008) was known for her horror persona “Vampira”. She was married three times and had a child with a married man which she gave up for adoption in the 1940s.
• The Finnish author Maila Talvio (1871 - 1951) got nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times.
• Former Finnish gymnast Maila Nisula (born 1931) competed in seven categories at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
• Estonian actress Maila Rästas (1937 - 2008) had an almost 30 year career as a stage, film, and radio actress.

Pronunciation of Maila

Variants of the name Maila