Leela
Girl · LEE-la · Sanskrit
Leela is a girls' name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “play, divine play”. In 2025 it ranked 776th for girls in the UK (51 babies) and 1,279th for girls in the US (175 babies).
What does Leela mean?
Sanskrit: from Sanskrit lila
“play, divine play”
In Hindu thought lila is the playful, creative activity of the divine; Leela was also a Doctor Who companion.
- Say it
- LEE-la
More on Wiktionary.
Is Leela a girl's or a boy's name?
Leela is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 51 girls in the UK and 175 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Leela in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #776among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 51about 1 in 5,500 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 11% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 51 girls in the UK were named Leela, making it the 776th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 877th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 131 girls.
2025 had more girls named Leela than any year since 2018.
Half of all the girls named Leela in the UK since 1996 were born between 2011 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among girls in 2025, it was 719th in England and Wales.
Leela in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 51 | #776 |
| 2024 | 38 | #984 |
| 2023 | 43 | #892 |
| 2022 | 44 | #864 |
| 2021 | 42 | #906 |
| 2020 | 44 | #877 |
| 2019 | 49 | #822 |
| 2018 | 56 | #762 |
| 2017 | 79 | #597 |
| 2016 | 84 | #551 |
| 2015 | 131 | #386 |
| 2014 | 86 | #550 |
| 2013 | 47 | #868 |
| 2012 | 33 | #1,128 |
| 2011 | 39 | #977 |
| 2010 | 43 | #888 |
| 2009 | 34 | #1,019 |
| 2008 | 31 | #1,064 |
| 2007 | 34 | #963 |
| 2006 | 29 | #1,035 |
| 2005 | 20 | #1,280 |
| 2004 | 19 | #1,293 |
| 2003 | 15 | #1,492 |
| 2002 | 6 | #2,691 |
| 2001 | 8 | #2,150 |
| 2000 | 7 | #2,304 |
| 1999 | 3 | #4,041 |
| 1998 | 7 | #2,304 |
| 1997 | 4 | #3,345 |
| 1996 | 3 | #3,935 |
How popular is Leela in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,279among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 175about 1 in 9,200 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 7% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 175 girls in the US were named Leela, making it the 1,279th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,194th. Its busiest year was 2016, with 232 girls. It first appears in the records in 1898.
2025 had fewer girls named Leela than any year since 2010.
Half of all the girls named Leela in the US since 1880 were born between 2007 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 185 girls in the US were given Leela or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,105, up from #1,279 for this spelling alone.
- Leela 175
- Lelah 10
Leela in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 175 | #1,279 |
| 2024 | 185 | #1,259 |
| 2023 | 179 | #1,277 |
| 2022 | 179 | #1,319 |
| 2021 | 179 | #1,284 |
| 2020 | 194 | #1,194 |
| 2019 | 192 | #1,218 |
| 2018 | 196 | #1,206 |
| 2017 | 217 | #1,141 |
| 2016 | 232 | #1,106 |
| 2015 | 207 | #1,204 |
| 2014 | 218 | #1,143 |
| 2013 | 227 | #1,086 |
| 2012 | 209 | #1,174 |
| 2011 | 201 | #1,196 |
| 2010 | 135 | #1,603 |
| 2009 | 141 | #1,593 |
| 2008 | 134 | #1,664 |
| 2007 | 126 | #1,726 |
| 2006 | 123 | #1,702 |
| 2005 | 74 | #2,375 |
| 2004 | 70 | #2,421 |
| 2003 | 69 | #2,390 |
| 2002 | 46 | #3,099 |
| 2001 | 39 | #3,413 |
| 2000 | 42 | #3,212 |
| 1999 | 28 | #4,084 |
| 1998 | 18 | #5,579 |
| 1997 | 17 | #5,622 |
| 1996 | 16 | #5,766 |
| 1995 | 16 | #5,672 |
| 1994 | 23 | #4,371 |
| 1993 | 15 | #5,949 |
| 1992 | 19 | #5,044 |
| 1991 | 17 | #5,393 |
| 1990 | 25 | #3,998 |
| 1989 | 9 | #8,031 |
| 1988 | 14 | #5,593 |
| 1987 | 21 | #3,980 |
| 1986 | 17 | #4,536 |
| 1985 | 15 | #4,858 |
| 1984 | 23 | #3,526 |
| 1983 | 20 | #3,805 |
| 1982 | 8 | #7,467 |
| 1981 | 12 | #5,570 |
| 1980 | 19 | #3,991 |
| 1979 | 15 | #4,625 |
| 1978 | 14 | #4,679 |
| 1977 | 13 | #4,941 |
| 1976 | 14 | #4,361 |
| 1975 | 8 | #6,482 |
| 1974 | 13 | #4,458 |
| 1973 | 7 | #6,664 |
| 1972 | 9 | #5,479 |
| 1971 | 10 | #5,134 |
| 1970 | 6 | #7,069 |
| 1969 | 8 | #5,455 |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 10 | #4,197 |
| 1965 | 9 | #4,493 |
| 1964 | 6 | #6,008 |
| 1963 | 7 | #5,295 |
| 1962 | 7 | #5,292 |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 7 | #4,653 |
| 1953 | 5 | #5,672 |
| 1952 | 5 | #5,561 |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 6 | #4,762 |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 5 | #4,620 |
| 1941 | 5 | #4,418 |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 5 | #4,973 |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 5 | #4,807 |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 0 | – |
| 1915 | 0 | – |
| 1914 | 0 | – |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 0 | – |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 0 | – |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 5 | #1,699 |
Names like Leela
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Safa Layla Lyra Ayla Maya Ayra Hafsa Lyla Amira Luna Myla Zara
Other spellings of Leela
Names related to Leela
More Sanskrit names
Bodhi Arya Lila Arjun Aarav Rohan Kali Aryan Opal Arjan Vihaan Aadhya Avyaan Ishaan Siya Leena