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Lela

Gender
Girl
Say it
LEE-luh
Origin
Latin
UK rank, 2025
#3,409 for girls
US rank, 2025
#2,368 for girls

Lela is a girls' name of Latin origin. In 2025 it ranked 3,409th for girls in the UK (7 babies) and 2,368th for girls in the US (76 babies).

Where does Lela come from?

Latin: variant of Lelia, or of Leila

More on Wiktionary.

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

Lela is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 7 girls in the UK and 76 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Lela in the UK?

Rank in 2025
3,409th among girls
Babies in 2025
7 about 1 in 40,000 girls
Five-year trend
Steady up 5% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 7 girls in the UK were named Lela, making it the 3,409th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,630th. Its busiest year was 2018, with 11 girls.

Half of all the girls named Lela in the UK since 1996 were born between 2010 and 2021. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

In 2025, 26 girls in the UK were given Lela or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,139, up from #3,409 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 3,332nd in England and Wales.

1996Busiest: 11 in 20182025
Lela in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20257#3,409
20247#3,381
20237#3,388
202211#2,450
20219#2,846
20206#3,630
20193#5,804
201811#2,464
20179#2,864
20166#3,788
20158#3,114
20147#3,321
20134#4,953
20125#4,390
20116#3,737
20108#2,992
20093#5,801
20087#3,203
20073#5,415
20063#5,259
20050–
20045#3,356
20033#4,560
20020–
20010–
20000–
19993#4,041
19980–
19970–
19964#3,289

How popular is Lela in the US?

Rank in 2025
2,368th among girls
Babies in 2025
76 about 1 in 21,000 girls
Five-year trend
Falling down 31% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 76 girls in the US were named Lela, making it the 2,368th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,808th. Its busiest year was 1921, with 907 girls.

It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Lela than any year since 1998.

Half of all the girls named Lela in the US since 1880 were born between 1911 and 1947, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 158 girls in the US were given Lela or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,241, up from #2,368 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 907 in 19212025
Lela in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202576#2,368
202486#2,203
202389#2,142
2022100#1,961
2021111#1,816
2020109#1,808
2019116#1,763
2018139#1,554
2017142#1,545
2016150#1,512
2015147#1,526
2014152#1,471
2013156#1,440
2012178#1,322
2011142#1,540
2010145#1,536
2009161#1,444
2008157#1,486
2007176#1,370
2006152#1,462
2005143#1,471
2004134#1,497
2003122#1,578
2002106#1,718
2001111#1,640
2000118#1,531
199992#1,736
199863#2,241
199763#2,171
199676#1,896
199557#2,304
199452#2,427
199372#1,938
199256#2,313
199180#1,773
199076#1,858
198967#1,920
198866#1,859
198784#1,518
198675#1,587
198594#1,372
198490#1,343
1983104#1,220
198292#1,345
1981110#1,193
198082#1,474
1979106#1,226
1978105#1,194
1977101#1,206
197693#1,216
197585#1,301
1974101#1,143
1973127#947
1972106#1,079
1971112#1,074
1970132#961
1969106#1,066
1968133#893
1967103#1,011
1966126#897
1965147#819
1964166#811
1963168#801
1962165#814
1961195#744
1960169#786
1959207#696
1958216#673
1957209#683
1956238#619
1955244#587
1954250#561
1953248#554
1952270#513
1951234#549
1950266#492
1949356#416
1948323#444
1947323#455
1946301#445
1945326#394
1944328#390
1943344#392
1942371#365
1941355#348
1940335#352
1939359#333
1938384#320
1937418#302
1936407#301
1935427#290
1934466#284
1933510#273
1932504#275
1931558#259
1930586#259
1929631#252
1928659#243
1927682#250
1926721#244
1925818#228
1924863#223
1923816#226
1922865#220
1921907#212
1920878#218
1919898#207
1918896#209
1917828#212
1916888#199
1915774#213
1914647#202
1913595#188
1912523#184
1911489#162
1910469#161
1909414#161
1908411#161
1907453#144
1906447#137
1905465#134
1904431#135
1903420#133
1902459#125
1901443#117
1900530#122
1899417#116
1898459#115
1897438#116
1896425#113
1895388#121
1894413#113
1893358#120
1892353#124
1891337#117
1890304#127
1889268#133
1888292#126
1887207#131
1886230#122
1885168#139
1884213#119
1883163#126
1882143#126
1881125#127
1880106#141

Names like Lela

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

Rosa, Clara, Ada, Lola, Nora, Alma, Florence, Mabel, Lottie, Eva, Flora, Matilda

Other spellings of Lela

Lilo, Lile, Liyla, Leelah

Names related to Lela

Leila, Leyla, Luella, Leela, Leilah, Lelia, Laela, Leylah

More Latin names

Oliver, Olivia, Leo, Roman, Aurora, Emily, Luna, Rosie, Emilia, Max, Nova, Lucy, Julian, Anthony, Austin, Felix

Every Latin 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, “Lela: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/lela, updated 20 October 2026.