Nala
Girl · NAH-la
Nala is a girls' name. In 2025 it ranked 615th for girls in the UK (69 babies) and 856th for girls in the US (317 babies).
What does Nala mean?
Popularised by the lioness in The Lion King
Nala is Simba's friend and queen in Disney's The Lion King; in Hindu epic, Nala is a king famed for his love for Damayanti.
- Say it
- NAH-la
Is Nala a girl's or a boy's name?
Nala is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 69 girls in the UK and 317 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Nala in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #615among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 69about 1 in 4,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 6% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 69 girls in the UK were named Nala, making it the 615th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 451st. Its busiest year was 2021, with 104 girls.
Half of all the girls named Nala in the UK since 1996 were born between 2018 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 101 girls in the UK were given Nala or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #436, up from #615 for this spelling alone.
Among girls in 2025, it was 590th in England and Wales and 397th in Northern Ireland.
Nala in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 69 | #615 |
| 2024 | 60 | #687 |
| 2023 | 91 | #480 |
| 2022 | 97 | #477 |
| 2021 | 104 | #458 |
| 2020 | 102 | #451 |
| 2019 | 76 | #577 |
| 2018 | 56 | #762 |
| 2017 | 42 | #957 |
| 2016 | 36 | #1,056 |
| 2015 | 51 | #812 |
| 2014 | 20 | #1,596 |
| 2013 | 24 | #1,433 |
| 2012 | 12 | #2,319 |
| 2011 | 5 | #4,244 |
| 2010 | 1 | #7,520 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 6 | #3,589 |
| 2007 | 2 | #6,929 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 4 | #4,150 |
| 2004 | 5 | #3,356 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 4 | #3,289 |
How popular is Nala in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #856among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 317about 1 in 5,100 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 16% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 317 girls in the US were named Nala, making it the 856th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 695th. Its busiest year was 2019, with 428 girls. It first appears in the records in 1979.
2025 had fewer girls named Nala than any year since 2015.
Half of all the girls named Nala in the US since 1880 were born between 2012 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 408 girls in the US were given Nala or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #699, up from #856 for this spelling alone.
Nala in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 317 | #856 |
| 2024 | 375 | #752 |
| 2023 | 320 | #845 |
| 2022 | 351 | #804 |
| 2021 | 385 | #740 |
| 2020 | 406 | #695 |
| 2019 | 428 | #675 |
| 2018 | 374 | #741 |
| 2017 | 362 | #765 |
| 2016 | 365 | #777 |
| 2015 | 286 | #949 |
| 2014 | 267 | #993 |
| 2013 | 234 | #1,062 |
| 2012 | 238 | #1,055 |
| 2011 | 158 | #1,434 |
| 2010 | 125 | #1,688 |
| 2009 | 111 | #1,889 |
| 2008 | 119 | #1,816 |
| 2007 | 92 | #2,163 |
| 2006 | 102 | #1,961 |
| 2005 | 71 | #2,453 |
| 2004 | 94 | #1,971 |
| 2003 | 78 | #2,200 |
| 2002 | 48 | #3,010 |
| 2001 | 56 | #2,659 |
| 2000 | 51 | #2,813 |
| 1999 | 51 | #2,700 |
| 1998 | 54 | #2,527 |
| 1997 | 55 | #2,388 |
| 1996 | 51 | #2,472 |
| 1995 | 85 | #1,711 |
| 1994 | 24 | #4,233 |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 5 | #10,208 |
Names like Nala
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Noa Layla Safa Ayla Ayra Hafsa Noura Raya Hiba Aiza Pippa Amira