Is Leila a boy or a girl name?

Leila is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 53,046 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Leila in 2023?

Leila ranks #240 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 2010 with 1,509 babies.

How do you pronounce Leila?

Leila is pronounced LAY-lah (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Leila?

Leila is also written as Layla, Laila, Lyla.

A name from Arabic · Girl

Leila

لَيْلَى

"Night; dark beauty." Heroine of the medieval epic *Layla and Majnun*, the Arab world's Romeo and Juliet. A symbol of mystical love in Sufi poetry.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

53,046 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

1,272 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

L"Night; dark beauty." Heroine of the medieval epic *Layla and Majnun*, the Arab world's Romeo and Juliet. A symbol of mystical love in Sufi poetry.

Etymology, in one line

Arabic root: l-y-l — ل-ي-ل, night

Regional variants

"Layla" has been a US top-50 girls' name since 2010 — popularized by Eric Clapton's song and broadly adopted across Muslim, non-Muslim, and Latin-American families.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Leila".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Layla Most common Laila Lyla

Related guides

People who carry the name Leila.

L
Layla (Eric Clapton song)
L
Leila Khaled (Palestinian activist)

Quick answers

People often ask about Leila.

What does the name Leila mean?: Leila means "Night; dark beauty." Heroine of the medieval epic *Layla and Majnun*, the Arab world's Romeo and Juliet. A symbol of mystical love in Sufi poetry.
Where does the name Leila come from?: Leila is a girl name of Arabic origin. "Layla" has been a US top-50 girls' name since 2010 — popularized by Eric Clapton's song and broadly adopted across Muslim, non-Muslim, and Latin-American families.
Is Leila a boy or a girl name?: Leila is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 53,046 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Leila in 2023?: Leila ranks #240 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 2010 with 1,509 babies.
How do you pronounce Leila?: Leila is pronounced LAY-lah (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Leila?: Leila is also written as Layla, Laila, Lyla.

Similar names

If you love Leila, also consider…

Night; dark-haired beauty

Aaliyah عَالِيَة

#12243

Girl ·Arabic

"Exalted, high, sublime

Omar عُمَر

#263

Boy ·Arabic

"Long-lived, flourishing life

Lila

#213

Girl ·Arabic

A variant of Layla, from Arabic ليلى, "night

Malik مَالِك

#383

Boy ·Arabic

"King, sovereign, owner

Nadia نَادِيَة

#489

Girl ·Arabic

"Announcer, caller; morning dew

Ali عَلِيّ

#311

Unisex ·Arabic

"Elevated, high, noble

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meaning and cultural context drawn from classical sources: Lisan al-Arab, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Qur'an and Sunnah. If you spot an error, please let us know.

Leila

A 143-year arc in numbers.

A name that means something.

3 ways to spell "Leila".

Read more in the Almanac.

Arabic Names That Work in English Without Explanation

People who carry the name Leila.

People often ask about Leila.

If you love Leila, also consider…

About this page