Ilah
Ilah was the 3046th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 54 babies. Its best year was 1907, when it ranked 905th; the most babies were born in 2022 (70). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,146 places. More babies were named Ilah in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Ila) Origin uncertain · Sanskrit
- Rank in 2025
- #3,046 girls, down 250 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 54girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 202270 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,788babies recorded
What does the name Ilah mean?
Ilah is a spelling of Ila, pronounced the same way, so it shares Ila's meaning and origin.
Ila has more than one source. In India it is a Sanskrit name: Wiktionary records Ila as a girls' name from Sanskrit ila, a word with senses including earth and speech, and as the name of a figure in Hindu tradition who changes between man and woman. Ila was also an American girls' name in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Wiktionary lists a separate use as a boys' name, but no source consulted explains these older American uses.
इला (Sanskrit, “earth; speech; also a Hindu mythological figure”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The Indian name is Sanskrit; the origin of the older American name is not documented.
See also: Sanskrit and Indian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ila', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'इला', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Ila (Hinduism)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Ilah popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,046 | 54 |
| 2020 | #2,796 | 59 |
| 2010 | #7,028 | 18 |
| 2000 | #11,116 | 8 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | #6,721 | 5 |
| 1950 | #4,483 | 7 |
| 1940 | #2,059 | 16 |
| 1930 | #2,055 | 17 |
| 1920 | #1,293 | 36 |
| 1910 | #1,465 | 11 |
| 1900 | #1,497 | 8 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Ilah, counting every spelling?
Ilah is a spelling of Ila, a name family that ranked #638 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #3,046 for Ilah on its own. Together these spellings went to 454 girls in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Ilah?
54 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ilah (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Ilah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 155 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ilah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ilah?
About 800 people born in the US named Ilah are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 16. That makes Ilah a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Ilah by state
How common Ilah was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 46 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ilah: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ilah, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Ilah
What does Ilah mean?
The origin of Ila is uncertain: the Indian name is Sanskrit; the origin of the older American name is not documented.
How popular is the name Ilah?
Ilah was the 3046th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 54 babies. Its best year was 1907, when it ranked 905th; the most babies were born in 2022 (70). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,146 places. More babies were named Ilah in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Ilah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Ilah in the US.
Where is Ilah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ilah was most common in Ohio (0.03 per 1,000 girls), followed by Michigan and Florida.