Girl · #2,311 in 2026

Lela

Lela is a name with multiple cultural origins: Georgian, English.

  • Georgian
  • English
Current Rank
#2,311
Peak Rank
#113 (1921)
Total Babies
43K
5-Yr Trend
-29%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1921
Peak Year
#113
Peak Rank
43K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Lela

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

Lela is a name with multiple cultural origins: Georgian, English.

Origin data from Behind the Name .

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Georgian
  • English

The Story of Lela

The earliest SSA record of Lela as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 106 babies received it. 1921 was its biggest year on record, with 907 newborns named Lela — #212 in the national rankings. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #2,311 among baby girl names with 80 births, falling sharply (-29%). In total, more than 43K Lelas 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
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Lela

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Lela. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Lela

Phonetically similar names — useful when Lela 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 Lela

What does the name Lela mean?
Lela is a name with multiple cultural origins: Georgian, English.
What is the origin of the name Lela?
Lela has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Georgian, English.
How popular is Lela in 2026?
In 2026, Lela ranks #2,311 among girls' names in the U.S., with 80 babies given the name that year.
When was Lela most popular?
Lela reached its peak popularity in 1921, ranking #113 that year with 907 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Lela most popular?
Lela has historically been most popular in Texas, Idaho, Mississippi. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Lela.
Is Lela a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Lela is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Lela?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Lela include Nina, Rosie, Mable. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Lela?
Common variants and related forms of Lela include Leila, Leilah, Leyla, Lila, Lilah, Lyla. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Lela

Lela is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 43K births in the dataset. Lela's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #113. Use the chart and map above to compare Lela'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.