Girl · #279 in 2026

Leila

Leila, also spelt Layla, is a feminine given name of Arabic origin. It is popular in the Middle East, including Arabic-speaking countries, Iran, Turkey, and Palestine, as well as the Nordic countries, India and Anglosphere. In the Latin alphabet, the name is commonly spelled in multiple ways, including Leila, Layla, Laylah, Laila, Leyla, and Leylah.

Current Rank
#279
Peak Rank
#163 (2010)
Total Babies
57K
5-Yr Trend
-13%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
2010
Peak Year
#163
Peak Rank
57K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Leila

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

Leila, also spelt Layla, is a feminine given name of Arabic origin. It is popular in the Middle East, including Arabic-speaking countries, Iran, Turkey, and Palestine, as well as the Nordic countries, India and Anglosphere. In the Latin alphabet, the name is commonly spelled in multiple ways, including Leila, Layla, Laylah, Laila, Leyla, and Leylah.

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

The Story of Leila

Leila first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 80 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2010, when 1,509 Leilas were born — ranking #205 that year. As of 2026, Leila ranks #279 for baby girls with 1,145 births, gradually falling (-13%). In total, more than 57K Leilas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
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Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Leila

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

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Leila

What does the name Leila mean?
Leila, also spelt Layla, is a feminine given name of Arabic origin. It is popular in the Middle East, including Arabic-speaking countries, Iran, Turkey, and Palestine, as well as the Nordic countries, India and Anglosphere. In the Latin alphabet, the name is commonly spelled in multiple ways, including Leila, Layla, Laylah, Laila, Leyla, and Leylah.
How popular is Leila in 2026?
In 2026, Leila ranks #279 among girls' names in the U.S., with 1,145 babies given the name that year.
When was Leila most popular?
Leila reached its peak popularity in 2010, ranking #163 that year with 1,509 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Leila most popular?
Leila has historically been most popular in Hawaii, U.S. Territories, Vermont. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Leila.
Is Leila a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Leila is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Leila?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Leila include Lelia, Abby, Cristina. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Lelia
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Cristina
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Bess
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About the name Leila

Leila is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 57K births in the dataset. Leila's peak popularity came in 2010 when it ranked #163. Use the chart and map above to compare Leila'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.