Lela
Lela was the 2374th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 76 babies. Its best year was 1894, when it ranked 113th; the most babies were born in 1921 (907). Over the last ten years it has moved down 844 places. More babies were named Lela in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Leila) night · Arabic
- Rank in 2025
- #2,374 girls, down 560 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 76girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1921907 babies
- Total since 1880
- 43,073babies recorded
What does the name Lela mean?
Lela is a spelling of Leila, pronounced the same way, so it shares Leila's meaning and origin.
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.
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)
Lela popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 68 since 1886.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,374 | 76 |
| 2020 | #1,814 | 109 |
| 2010 | #1,542 | 145 |
| 2000 | #1,538 | 118 |
| 1990 | #1,869 | 76 |
| 1980 | #1,477 | 82 |
| 1970 | #964 | 132 |
| 1960 | #787 | 169 |
| 1950 | #494 | 266 |
| 1940 | #352 | 335 |
| 1930 | #259 | 586 |
| 1920 | #218 | 878 |
| 1910 | #161 | 469 |
| 1900 | #122 | 530 |
| 1890 | #129 | 304 |
| 1880 | #142 | 106 |
How popular is Lela, counting every spelling?
Lela is a spelling of Leila, a name family that ranked #269 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,374 for Lela 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 Lela?
76 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lela (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lela 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 110 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lela.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lela?
About 12,000 people born in the US named Lela are alive today, with a median age of 57; half are between 23 and 76. That makes Lela a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Lela by state
How common Lela was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Tennessee (2.5×). In 38 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 Lela: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lela, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Lela
What does Lela mean?
Lela is a spelling of Leila, which means “night” (Arabic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lela?
Lela was the 2374th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 76 babies. Its best year was 1894, when it ranked 113th; the most babies were born in 1921 (907). Over the last ten years it has moved down 844 places. More babies were named Lela in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Lela a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lela in the US.
Where is Lela most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lela was most common in Tennessee (0.14 per 1,000 girls), followed by Arkansas and Ohio.