Leila
Leila was the 259th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,193 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 165th; the most babies were born in 2010 (1,509). Over the last ten years it has moved down 11 places. More babies were named Leila in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning night · Arabic
Say it LAY-luh /ˈleɪlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #259 girls, down 54 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,193girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20101,509 babies
- Total since 1880
- 55,447babies recorded
What does the name Leila mean?
Leila is one of the English spellings of the Arabic women's name Layla. Wiktionary traces Arabic Layla to an old Semitic word for night, the same word as Arabic layl, "night", and Wikipedia gives the same meaning. The name is famous from the Arabic love story of Layla and Majnun, later retold across the Persian- and Turkish-speaking world. Wiktionary notes that Leila came into English through 19th-century literature. Layla, Laila and Leyla are other spellings of the same name.
لَيْلَى (Arabic, “Layla (given name)”)لَيْل (Arabic, “night”)
How sure is this? Probable. The link with the word for night is the usual explanation in the sources cited; the name itself is very old and its first use is not documented.
Pronunciation: Two pronunciations are common in the US. Leila is usually not said like Lila (LY-luh).
Related names: Layla, Laila, Leyla, Lila.
See also: Arabic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Leila', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'ليلى', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Leila (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Leila popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 11 since 1941.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #259 | 1,193 |
| 2020 | #205 | 1,409 |
| 2010 | #205 | 1,509 |
| 2000 | #595 | 427 |
| 1990 | #998 | 183 |
| 1980 | #847 | 184 |
| 1970 | #972 | 130 |
| 1960 | #780 | 172 |
| 1950 | #657 | 169 |
| 1940 | #514 | 183 |
| 1930 | #387 | 317 |
| 1920 | #323 | 405 |
| 1910 | #304 | 163 |
| 1900 | #239 | 178 |
| 1890 | #192 | 154 |
| 1880 | #165 | 80 |
How popular is Leila, counting every spelling?
Leila is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #269 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #259 for Leila on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,269 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leila | 1,193 | #259 | 6,293 |
| Lela | 76 | #2,374 | 462 |
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 Leila?
1,193 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Leila (0.33 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Leila 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Leila.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Leila?
About 41,300 people born in the US named Leila are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 8 and 26. That makes Leila 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.
Leila by state
How common Leila was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (8.8×), District of Columbia (4.1×), Connecticut (1.9×), California (1.8×), Nevada (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Alabama, Kentucky, West Virginia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Leila: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Leila, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Leila · Sibling names for Leila
Questions about the name Leila
What does Leila mean?
Leila means “night” (Arabic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Leila?
Leila was the 259th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,193 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 165th; the most babies were born in 2010 (1,509). Over the last ten years it has moved down 11 places. More babies were named Leila in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Leila a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Leila in the US.
Where is Leila most popular?
In 2021–2025, Leila was most common in Hawaii (6.80 per 1,000 girls), followed by District of Columbia and Connecticut.