Kyla
Kyla was the 580th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 512 babies. Its best year was 2004, when it ranked 162nd with 2,038 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 222 places. More babies were named Kyla in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning modern feminine of Kyle · American English, Scottish Gaelic
Say it KYE-luh /ˈkaɪlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #580 girls, down 88 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 512girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20042,038 babies
- Total since 1880
- 43,703babies recorded
What does the name Kyla mean?
Kyla is a modern name that Wiktionary explains as a feminine form of Kyle, made by adding -a. Kyle began as a Scottish surname taken from places in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and those place names come from Gaelic caol, a strait or narrow channel. So the deepest meaning available is "narrows," passed through a place name, a surname and a boy's name before reaching Kyla. No older tradition of the girls' name is recorded in our sources.
caol (Scottish Gaelic, “narrow; a strait, narrows”)
How sure is this? Probable. Coinage; meaning only through Kyle. Supported by Wiktionary only; no edited source checked.
Related names: Kyle, Kylie, Kaila, Kylah.
See also: Scottish names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kyla' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kyle' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Kyla popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 29 since 1987.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #580 | 512 |
| 2020 | #492 | 621 |
| 2010 | #253 | 1,284 |
| 2000 | #235 | 1,363 |
| 1990 | #428 | 596 |
| 1980 | #606 | 303 |
| 1970 | #1,186 | 97 |
| 1960 | #2,076 | 31 |
| 1950 | #5,701 | 5 |
| 1940 | #4,712 | 5 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kyla, counting every spelling?
Kyla is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #481 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #580 for Kyla on its own. Together these spellings went to 660 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyla | 512 | #580 | 2,765 |
| Kylah | 126 | #1,645 | 789 |
| Kilah | 17 | #6,696 | 51 |
| Kila | 5 | #16,179 | 37 |
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 Kyla?
512 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kyla (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kyla 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 16 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kyla.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kyla?
About 42,900 people born in the US named Kyla are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 15 and 30. That makes Kyla mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Kyla by state
How common Kyla was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Iowa (2.0×), South Carolina (1.9×), Connecticut (1.9×), Nevada (1.7×), Kentucky (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nebraska, Arkansas, Colorado.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kyla: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kyla, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kyla · Sibling names for Kyla
Questions about the name Kyla
What does Kyla mean?
Kyla means “modern feminine of Kyle” (American English, Scottish Gaelic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kyla?
Kyla was the 580th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 512 babies. Its best year was 2004, when it ranked 162nd with 2,038 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 222 places. More babies were named Kyla in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Kyla a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kyla in the US.
Where is Kyla most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kyla was most common in Hawaii (1.31 per 1,000 girls), followed by Iowa and South Carolina.