Lyla
Lyla was the 80th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,089 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 61 places. More babies were named Lyla in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning night (via Leila) · Arabic
Say it LY-luh /ˈlaɪlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #80 girls, up 38 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,089girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20253,089 babies
- Total since 1880
- 49,299babies recorded
What does the name Lyla mean?
Lyla is a modern spelling of Leila, which comes from the Arabic name Layla. Wiktionary derives Layla from a Semitic word for 'night', the same root as the common Arabic nouns for night. Wiktionary notes that Leila entered English through 19th-century literature. Lyla can also be read as a form of Lila or Lilah, so families may have either source in mind.
لَيْلَى (Arabic, “Layla”)*laylay- (Proto-Semitic, “night”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Leila, Layla, Lila, Lilah, Laila.
See also: Arabic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lyla', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'Leila', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'ليلى', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Lyla popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5 since 2021.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #80 | 3,089 |
| 2020 | #118 | 2,307 |
| 2010 | #135 | 2,291 |
| 2000 | #1,786 | 98 |
| 1990 | #3,264 | 34 |
| 1980 | #4,235 | 18 |
| 1970 | #3,658 | 17 |
| 1960 | #2,172 | 29 |
| 1950 | #1,297 | 50 |
| 1940 | #831 | 74 |
| 1930 | #820 | 75 |
| 1920 | #877 | 69 |
| 1910 | #957 | 21 |
| 1900 | #1,038 | 14 |
| 1890 | #914 | 10 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Lyla, counting every spelling?
Lyla is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #79 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #80 for Lyla on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,649 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyla | 3,089 | #80 | 13,888 |
| Lylah | 503 | #585 | 2,588 |
| Lylla | 48 | #3,279 | 166 |
| Lillah | 9 | #10,559 | 39 |
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 Lyla?
3,089 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lyla (0.86 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lyla 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lyla.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lyla?
About 46,500 people born in the US named Lyla are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 15. That makes Lyla 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.
Lyla by state
How common Lyla was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alaska (2.9×), North Dakota (2.8×), New Hampshire (2.7×), Rhode Island (2.5×), Utah (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in District of Columbia, Wyoming, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lyla: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lyla, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lyla · Sibling names for Lyla
Questions about the name Lyla
What does Lyla mean?
Lyla means “night (via Leila)” (Arabic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lyla?
Lyla was the 80th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,089 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 61 places. More babies were named Lyla in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Lyla a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lyla in the US.
Where is Lyla most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lyla was most common in Alaska (4.88 per 1,000 girls), followed by North Dakota and New Hampshire.