Girl · #14,553 in 2026

Gayla

Name: Popularity of the name Gayla in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Gayla, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Gayla is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Gayla Drake, American guitarist and singer/songwriter Gayla Margolin, American psychologist Gayla Hendren McKenzie, American politician Gayla Peevey, child star from Ponca City, Oklahoma who sang "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" Gayla Reid, Australian-born Canadian writer Gayla Trail,, Canadian writer, gardener, designer,…

Current Rank

#14,553

Peak Rank

#345 (1954)

Total Babies

11K

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1921

First Year

2014

Last Year

1954

Peak Year

#345

Peak Rank

11K

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Gayla

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Gayla

Gayla first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1921, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1954, when 617 Gaylas were born — ranking #345 that year. As of 2026, Gayla ranks #14,553 for baby girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 11K Gaylas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Gayla

Phonetically similar names — useful when Gayla is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Gala
Gaila
Gaily
Gayly
Gila
Gola
Galah
Galla
Gullah
Gulla
Gilla
Gailey

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gayla

What does the name Gayla mean?

How popular is Gayla in 2026?

In 2026, Gayla ranks #14,553 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Gayla most popular?

Gayla reached its peak popularity in 1954, ranking #345 that year with 617 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Gayla most popular?

Gayla has historically been most popular in Oklahoma, Idaho, Arkansas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Gayla.

Is Gayla a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Gayla is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Gayla?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Gayla include Felicity, Dayanara, Leota. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Gayla

Gayla is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1921 and has accumulated 11K births in the dataset. Gayla's peak popularity came in 1954 when it ranked #345. Use the chart and map above to compare Gayla's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.