Leila Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Girl Names Like Leila

Leila Name Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: ly-lah, lay-la
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Leila Name Meaning

The name Leila has a few different meanings depending on the culture and language. In Arabic, Leila means “night” or “dark-haired beauty”. In Persian, it means “dark-haired”, and in Hebrew, it means “belonging to God”. But no matter the culture or language, one thing is for sure – Leila is a strong, feminine name with a touch of mystery and elegance.

History of the Name Leila

Leila has been around for centuries, with roots in Arabic, Persian, and Hebrew cultures. In Arabic, the name Leila means “night” or “dark-haired beauty”, while in Persian it means “dark-haired”. In Hebrew, the name Leila means “belonging to God”. It is also a popular name in Islamic culture, where it is often associated with the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter, Fatimah.

Origins of the Name Leila

The name Leila has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in Arabic, Persian, and Hebrew cultures. The Arabic language is the origin of the name, which means ‘night’ in Arabic, or ‘dark-haired beauty.’ The name is also used in Persian, where it means ‘dark-haired.’ The Hebrew version of the name, Leila, means ‘belonging to God.’

Popularity of the Name Leila

Leila has been a popular name for centuries, but its popularity has fluctuated over time. In the early 20th century, Leila was a top 100 name in the United States, but it fell out of favor in the mid-20th century. In recent years, however, the name has seen a resurgence in popularity, with more and more parents choosing Leila for their little girls.

Final Thoughts on the Name Leila

In conclusion, Leila is a name with a rich history and a variety of meanings. It’s a name that has stood the test of time and remains a favorite among parents looking for a strong, feminine name for their little girl. So, if you’re looking for a name that is elegant, mysterious, and timeless, Leila may be the perfect choice for your little lady.

Leila Name Popularity

How popular is the name Leila? Here’s everything we know.

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	—	101	0.0287%
1911	—	85	0.0228%
1912	—	151	0.0299%
1913	—	180	0.0317%
1914	—	211	0.0303%
1915	—	321	0.0353%
1916	—	312	0.0323%
1917	—	306	0.0306%
1918	—	326	0.0304%
1919	—	353	0.0337%
1920	—	382	0.0344%
1921	—	293	0.0256%
1922	—	306	0.0275%
1923	—	284	0.0254%
1924	—	321	0.0276%
1925	—	304	0.0269%
1926	—	263	0.0239%
1927	—	262	0.0237%
1928	—	237	0.0222%
1929	—	224	0.0216%
1930	—	261	0.025%
1931	—	244	0.0247%
1932	—	252	0.0255%
1933	—	241	0.0259%
1934	—	195	0.0202%
1935	—	184	0.0189%
1936	—	117	0.0121%
1937	—	187	0.019%
1938	—	127	0.0124%
1939	—	130	0.0128%
1940	—	123	0.0116%
1941	—	168	0.0149%
1942	—	130	0.0103%
1943	—	153	0.0117%
1944	—	127	0.0102%
1945	—	125	0.0102%
1946	—	113	0.0077%
1947	—	107	0.0064%
1948	—	103	0.0065%
1949	—	116	0.0072%
1950	—	106	0.0066%
1951	—	95	0.0056%
1952	—	98	0.0056%
1953	—	115	0.0065%
1954	—	135	0.0074%
1955	—	112	0.0061%
1956	—	126	0.0067%
1957	—	107	0.0056%
1958	—	111	0.0059%
1959	—	127	0.0067%
1960	—	130	0.0069%
1961	—	128	0.0068%
1962	—	138	0.0075%
1963	—	107	0.006%
1964	—	105	0.006%
1965	—	89	0.0054%
1966	—	109	0.007%
1967	—	92	0.0061%
1968	—	58	0.0039%
1969	—	84	0.0055%
1970	—	74	0.0046%
1971	—	96	0.0064%
1972	—	75	0.0055%
1973	—	88	0.0068%
1974	—	108	0.0083%
1975	—	81	0.0063%
1976	—	106	0.0082%
1977	—	124	0.0092%
1978	—	143	0.0106%
1979	—	136	0.0096%
1980	—	109	0.0075%
1981	—	159	0.0108%
1982	—	160	0.0107%
1983	—	154	0.0104%
1984	—	145	0.0097%
1985	—	162	0.0107%
1986	—	145	0.0096%
1987	—	144	0.0094%
1988	—	179	0.0115%
1989	—	147	0.0091%
1990	—	128	0.0077%
1991	—	145	0.0089%
1992	—	141	0.0088%
1993	—	138	0.0089%
1994	—	150	0.0098%
1995	—	169	0.0112%
1996	—	128	0.0085%
1997	—	139	0.0094%
1998	—	242	0.0162%
1999	—	253	0.0169%
2000	—	388	0.0254%
2001	—	524	0.0348%
2002	—	595	0.0397%
2003	—	847	0.0557%
2004	—	844	0.0554%
2005	—	1,003	0.0656%
2006	—	1,127	0.072%
2007	—	1,371	0.0869%
2008	—	1,480	0.0958%
2009	—	1,367	0.0915%
2010	—	1,495	0.1037%
2011	—	1,348	0.0946%
2012	—	1,340	0.094%
2013	—	1,448	0.1017%
2014	—	1,315	0.0903%
2015	—	1,268	0.0871%
2016	—	1,368	0.0949%
2017	—	1,373	0.0984%
2018	—	1,335	0.0972%
2019	—	1,361	0.1005%
2020	—	1,352	0.1062%
2021	—	1,261	0.1032%
2022	—	1,201	0.091%
2023	—	1,253	0.0968%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Leila

If you like Leila, you’ll love these other names like Leila.

What names are variants of Leila?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Leila.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Laila	Night	Arabic
Layla	Night	Arabic
Leela	Night beauty	Arabic
Leelah	Night beauty	Arabic
Leilah	Night beauty	Arabic
Lela	Black beauty	African
Lelah	Night beauty	Arabic
Lelia	“The tempestuous one,” from the Greek lailao, a tempest, hurricane, etc.	Latin
Leyla	Night beauty	Arabic
Lila	Night	Arabic
Lilah	Night	Arabic
Lyla	Night	English

What names sound like Leila?

If you like how Leila sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Leila.

Name	Meaning	Origin	Popularity	Other Gender
Leala	Loyal, faithful	French
Leola	Loyal, faithful; lion	Latin

What names are similar to Leila?

Find a name that’s like Leila, but just a little bit different.

Name	Meaning	Origin	Popularity	Other Gender

Loelia		Arabic

Lists With Leila

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Leila.

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13 Comments

Rebecca Sep 5 at 9:40 am

Leila, commonly pronounced as LAY-la, was chosen for my daughter because it was my grandmother’s name. It also happens to be my middle name. In our family we pronounce the name as LEE-la. I chose this name for my daughter because my grandmother and I were very close. She passed away in 2012. It was a difficult loss. She was only 62. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. I always knew that if I ever had a daughter, this would be her name. In 2013 I got pregnant with my son. He was my first child. For 6 months of my pregnancy I thought I was having a girl and had the name Leila already picked out. I was so excited. I found out I was having a boy. While I absolutely adore my son and being a boy Mom rocks!!! I was disappointed I couldn’t use the name. She meant so much to me and I wanted to pass down the name to honor her. I did get to honor my late father, however. He passed away at 52 that year. I was 4 months pregnant. I didn’t know what I was having when he passed away but I knew the moment I found out I was having a boy that he’d be named after my father in some way. I used his name as my son’s middle name. I had my son for close to 12 years as an only child. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d have more children, let alone a daughter! She came as a COMPLETE surprise to my family. And I knew from 11 weeks after my lab work that I was having a daughter. I was in shock, but I knew what her name would be. It’s a special name. Tied to so much close to my heart. I am beyond thankful to have this little girl in my life and to be able to call her Leila. Sometimes it brings tears to our eyes. Especially my Mom. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her mother. I don’t think I’d ever be ready to say goodbye to mine. I am thankful we get to honor such a wonderful and pure soul every time my daughters name is called. It makes my heart so full.

Reply
- L. J. Lucas Dec 3 at 3:45 am
  
  Mine is pronounced LEE-la, as well. It’s been in my family for at least four generations. Someone must read Lord Byron; either “The Gaior” or “Don Juan.”
  
  Reply
Robin Sep 6 at 9:23 am

I had searched different names online that started with “L”. I liked “L” names and “S” names when pregnant, I felt like it fit with our last name. I ended up finding the name Leilani and fell in love with how it sounded. However, neither husband nor I have a Hawaiian background and so I felt it didn’t fit within our family. I started breaking the name apart into nicknames to see if I liked anything. From that, I found Leila. Additionally, this name in biblical terms means “belonging to God” (Hebrew meaning). Equally, Leila means “night” and her middle name is “Skye“. So, together she is our little beautiful night sky. One thing I dislike about the name is just that it is already a short name and coming up with a good nickname is hard.

Reply
- Jaz Nov 14 at 3:33 am
  
  My daughter is Leila. You can get creative with nicknames and maybe in true Aussie fashion long names get shorter nicknames and short names get long nicknames. There will be some unique nicknames that arise ?
  
  Reply
Alison Aug 3 at 7:47 am

Leila is my grandmothers middle name and her grandmothers first name! I’ve wanted to use the name for a future daughter since I’ve been a little girl

Reply
Leila W C Feb 9 at 5:23 am

I love my name so much. When I was a little girl I hated it, because no one had the name Leila when I was growing up in my area. People always tells me now that I have a lovely name and personality that goes well with my beauty as a lovely lady. Thanks mom!!!!

Reply
- Leila L. Dec 3 at 3:50 am
  
  I couldn’t stand it when I was young. It’s pronounced with a long E sound. When I’m on the phone or using it in person, I (intentionally) mispronounce it as LAY-lah….most people recognize that.
  
  Reply
Kacey Dec 10 at 10:55 am

Means darkness and dark beauty with Arabic and Persian origins like my husband, and she was born at night during the darkest time of year.

Reply
Araceli Nov 2 at 3:53 pm

Love the way it sounds

Reply
Cristina Gonzalez May 17 at 6:42 pm

Leila means night beauty or daughter of the night and she was born at night. Also choose this spelling because Lei in Hawaiian has very beautiful meaning

Reply
Lori Apr 26 at 4:07 pm

I knew that I wanted an L name, and have always liked the name Layla, just not the spelling. The meaning behind it, although it varies, is very beautiful too: dark haired beauty, nocturnal, born at night etc. All of these things rang true for my little girl. We settled on spelling it with an LEI as a nod to our local roots, being born and raised in Hawaii.

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Samantha Apr 20 at 10:31 am

I chose the name Leila because it is just as she is a little night beauty avani is her middle and it means earth in Hindi so in short her name means night beauty of earth …she’s been such an easy and sweet baby so peaceful ..

Reply
Jessica Aug 13 at 6:13 pm

Leila it’s like the name Layla but we spelled differently to be different. At first I spelled it Laila but her dad’s middle name is Lee so I decided to spell it Leila. It’s a beautiful name. And she is amazing

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