Which name do you like better, especially with last name Pinto?
[name]Amalia[/name] has been a longtime favorite of mine, but [name]Mahalia[/name] would correspond with such a powerful namesake…
I love both of these names. So beautiful. [name]Mahalia[/name] [name]Jackson[/name] is certainly a great namesake for a baby.
I think [name]Amalia[/name] is likely to start getting more popular since [name]Amelia[/name] is so popular right now. (Not that you shouldn’t use it if it’s the name you love, but just something to consider.)
A potential issue with [name]Mahalia[/name] is that people will assume it’s [name]Malia[/name] since they’re used to seeing [name]Malia[/name] [name]Obama[/name]'s name. This also might cause them to assume [name]Amalia[/name] is pronounced [name]Ah[/name]-mah-[name]LEE[/name]-uh which might not be the pronouciation you’re going for.
Would you use the nickname [name]Hallie[/name] for [name]Mahalia[/name]?
They’re both beautiful and you really can’t go wrong with either one.
I prefer [name]Amalia[/name]!
I choose [name]Amalia[/name]:
[name]Princess[/name] [name]Catharina[/name]-[name]Amalia[/name] of the Netherlands is also a great namesake in my opinion 
[name]Amalia[/name]; I love the name!
[name]Amalia[/name] is beautiful, it gets my vote!
[name]Amalia[/name] is beautiful, and sounds great with your ln.
Thanks so much to those of you who replied - now on to figuring out a name for her brother! I’ll post that challenge on the “boys” list
Well, just to be difficult, I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Mahalia[/name] and definitely had it on my top ten list. They are both so pretty, but there are a LOT of [name]Emily[/name]'s and [name]Amelia[/name]'s and [name]Amalie[/name]'s (and other spellings that end up sounding pretty much the same). It would tip a tie vote towards [name]Mahalia[/name], for sure.