Nameling

Lila

Gender
Girl
Say it
LY-la
Origin
Sanskrit
UK rank, 2025
#182 for girls
US rank, 2025
#186 for girls

Lila is a girls' name of Sanskrit origin. In 2025 it ranked 182nd for girls in the UK (309 babies) and 186th for girls in the US (1,670 babies).

What does Lila mean?

Sanskrit: Sanskrit word; also a form of Leila or short for Delilah

Has several independent sources, including Sanskrit lila, play, the Arabic Layla, night, and a short form of Delilah.

More on Wiktionary.

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

Lila is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 309 girls in the UK and 1,670 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Lila in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#182among girls
Babies in 2025
309about 1 in 900 girls
Five-year trend
Risingup 33% in five years
Same name in a class
1.5%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 309 girls in the UK were named Lila, making it the 182nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 256th.

2025 had the most girls named Lila of any year since the records began in 1996.

Half of all the girls named Lila in the UK since 1996 were born between 2010 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 1,795 girls in the UK were given Lila or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #14, up from #182 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 179th in England and Wales, 217th in Scotland and 132nd in Northern Ireland.

1996Busiest: 309 in 20252025
Lila in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025309#182
2024219#238
2023195#255
2022217#235
2021228#241
2020201#256
2019161#325
2018181#296
2017163#328
2016195#286
2015228#245
2014204#269
2013183#285
2012208#268
2011169#320
2010195#279
2009177#294
2008179#293
2007145#343
2006136#351
2005115#383
200481#475
200365#535
200212#1,649
200117#1,261
200013#1,502
199911#1,653
199810#1,815
19975#2,896
199616#1,244

How popular is Lila in the US?

Rank in 2025
#186among girls
Babies in 2025
1,670about 1 in 960 girls
Five-year trend
Steadyup 12% in five years
Same name in a class
1.4%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 1,670 girls in the US were named Lila, making it the 186th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 228th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 1,969 girls.

It has been given to more girls each year for the last 5 years. 2025 had more girls named Lila than any year since 2014.

Half of all the girls named Lila in the US since 1880 were born between 1928 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 7,055 girls in the US were given Lila or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #23, up from #186 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 1,969 in 20102025
Lila in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20251,670#186
20241,482#206
20231,401#213
20221,354#221
20211,341#223
20201,298#228
20191,373#228
20181,405#225
20171,474#210
20161,561#210
20151,658#199
20141,776#184
20131,703#190
20121,728#182
20111,921#163
20101,969#155
20091,935#167
20081,852#180
20071,357#259
20061,006#329
2005680#446
2004599#489
2003492#569
2002414#618
2001394#641
2000307#749
1999312#722
1998224#929
1997156#1,173
1996131#1,309
1995124#1,327
1994139#1,236
1993106#1,493
1992109#1,449
1991134#1,253
1990125#1,296
1989126#1,247
1988103#1,375
1987112#1,257
1986114#1,215
1985132#1,096
198498#1,279
1983123#1,106
1982148#994
1981149#982
1980150#986
1979137#1,025
1978114#1,135
1977118#1,097
1976112#1,086
1975103#1,127
1974148#876
1973135#911
1972132#928
1971112#1,074
1970123#1,012
1969141#888
1968115#966
1967126#911
1966146#823
1965167#767
1964227#677
1963234#661
1962195#738
1961263#629
1960291#578
1959304#559
1958293#577
1957362#496
1956428#442
1955355#482
1954359#464
1953340#457
1952414#417
1951363#438
1950351#431
1949388#404
1948421#388
1947411#395
1946386#386
1945368#362
1944414#337
1943487#315
1942482#316
1941522#282
1940529#270
1939482#284
1938531#275
1937578#257
1936646#244
1935753#226
1934844#210
1933859#204
1932949#193
1931995#183
19301,203#170
19291,108#180
19281,034#195
19271,059#193
19261,085#190
19251,248#174
19241,053#199
19231,064#196
1922919#212
1921894#213
1920840#227
1919749#227
1918748#231
1917678#240
1916708#230
1915684#230
1914561#226
1913430#231
1912396#226
1911302#227
1910311#209
1909259#218
1908254#213
1907218#224
1906242#196
1905211#212
1904259#185
1903206#203
1902239#189
1901181#214
1900268#191
1899190#202
1898208#204
1897176#206
1896201#195
1895175#204
1894161#210
1893167#198
1892147#211
1891128#208
1890120#222
1889113#217
188888#247
188774#243
188669#248
188562#254
188473#221
188369#210
188265#205
188142#244
188036#254

Names like Lila

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

Lola Ada Eva Bella Ella Clara Nina Cora Nora Matilda Eliza Etta

Other spellings of Lila

Lyla Lilah Lylah Lillah Lylla

Names related to Lila

Lily Leila Laila Lilia Lili Lillia Lilya Leilah

More Sanskrit names

Maya Bodhi Arya Arjun Aarav Rohan Kali Aryan Opal Arjan Vihaan Aadhya Avyaan Ishaan Siya Leena

Every Sanskrit 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, “Lila: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/lila, updated 20 October 2026.