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Leila

Gender
Girl
Say it
LAY-la
Origin
Arabic
UK rank, 2025
#266 for girls
US rank, 2025
#259 for girls

Leila is a girls' name of Arabic origin, meaning “night”. In 2025 it ranked 266th for girls in the UK (190 babies) and 259th for girls in the US (1,193 babies).

What does Leila mean?

Arabic: spelling of Layla

“night”

A spelling of Layla; Lord Byron used it for characters in his poems The Giaour and Don Juan.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Leila a girl's or a boy's name?

Leila is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 190 girls in the UK and 1,193 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Leila in the UK?

Rank in 2025
266th among girls
Babies in 2025
190 about 1 in 1,500 girls
Five-year trend
Steady down 22% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 190 girls in the UK were named Leila, making it the 266th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 203rd. Its busiest year was 2012, with 467 girls.

2025 had fewer girls named Leila than any year since 2003.

Half of all the girls named Leila in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 1,460 girls in the UK were given Leila or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #32, up from #266 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 268th in England and Wales, 242nd in Scotland and 334th in Northern Ireland.

1996Busiest: 467 in 20122025
Leila in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025190#266
2024206#257
2023194#258
2022214#240
2021231#237
2020265#203
2019241#222
2018251#225
2017291#201
2016303#200
2015335#182
2014344#177
2013389#151
2012467#139
2011444#143
2010453#139
2009373#163
2008350#176
2007282#215
2006279#205
2005238#223
2004207#241
2003175#272
2002155#284
2001144#296
2000128#311
1999138#293
1998111#349
199789#414
199686#412

How popular is Leila in the US?

Rank in 2025
259th among girls
Babies in 2025
1,193 about 1 in 1,300 girls
Five-year trend
Steady down 12% in five years
Same name in a class
1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 1,193 girls in the US were named Leila, making it the 259th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 205th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 1,509 girls.

2025 had fewer girls named Leila than any year since 2006.

Half of all the girls named Leila in the US since 1880 were born between 1945 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 8,110 girls in the US were given Leila or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #15, up from #259 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 1,509 in 20102025
Leila in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20251,193#259
20241,197#267
20231,272#239
20221,246#245
20211,385#214
20201,409#205
20191,388#224
20181,358#239
20171,410#220
20161,395#229
20151,309#247
20141,331#243
20131,472#215
20121,365#234
20111,377#231
20101,509#205
20091,390#239
20081,499#226
20071,394#251
20061,161#285
20051,043#308
2004893#355
2003893#345
2002638#450
2001566#492
2000427#595
1999306#733
1998297#734
1997213#929
1996180#1,034
1995217#874
1994186#993
1993199#948
1992197#967
1991199#950
1990183#995
1989200#905
1988221#824
1987215#815
1986212#792
1985220#769
1984205#782
1983213#758
1982212#774
1981224#735
1980184#845
1979196#804
1978186#805
1977192#784
1976160#853
1975157#849
1974155#847
1973145#880
1972140#898
1971163#842
1970130#972
1969136#907
1968105#1,013
1967141#850
1966175#744
1965136#858
1964161#826
1963171#793
1962190#753
1961191#753
1960172#779
1959192#727
1958157#800
1957177#748
1956182#710
1955177#709
1954195#655
1953176#679
1952161#702
1951154#704
1950169#656
1949180#615
1948156#668
1947177#630
1946166#615
1945176#552
1944197#514
1943204#524
1942202#522
1941211#482
1940183#513
1939177#502
1938190#482
1937239#418
1936183#473
1935240#418
1934241#423
1933294#373
1932305#366
1931287#383
1930317#386
1929285#396
1928279#404
1927306#393
1926313#386
1925344#367
1924365#359
1923335#362
1922363#342
1921345#356
1920405#323
1919384#323
1918369#336
1917352#333
1916368#316
1915363#307
1914259#327
1913234#312
1912195#325
1911143#331
1910163#304
1909145#296
1908150#288
1907171#262
1906160#260
1905154#262
1904148#260
1903138#261
1902140#262
1901145#240
1900178#238
1899139#235
1898161#230
1897157#217
1896149#227
1895147#228
1894152#214
1893173#195
1892178#189
1891178#179
1890154#190
1889126#205
1888170#170
1887112#186
1886115#188
1885123#167
1884103#173
188390#177
188283#173
188177#172
188080#163

Names like Leila

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Lina, Lyla, Ella, Eva, Bella, Lola, Eliza, Lily, Ada, Luna, Nora, Phoebe

Other spellings of Leila

Layla, Laila, Leyla, Laylah, Lailah, Lejla, Leighla

Names related to Leila

Lilah, Lila, Lilia, Leela, Lilya, Leilah, Lela

More Arabic names

Muhammad, Mohammed, Mohammad, Zara, Aaliyah, Amir, Amira, Fatima, Ali, Yahya, Zayn, Aisha, Omar, Zahra, Hamza, Kairo

Every Arabic name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Leila: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/leila, updated 20 October 2026.