Girl · #601 in 2026

Leyla

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.

  • Turkish
  • Azerbaijani
  • Turkmen
  • Kurdish
Current Rank
#601
Peak Rank
#586 (2026)
Total Babies
11K
5-Yr Trend
+10%
1957
First Year
2026
Last Year
2026
Peak Year
#586
Peak Rank
11K
Total Count
69
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Leyla

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 →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Turkish
  • Azerbaijani
  • Turkmen
  • Kurdish
  • Persian
  • Arabic
  • English

The Story of Leyla

The earliest SSA record of Leyla as a baby girl name dates back to 1957, when 5 babies received it. 2026 was its biggest year on record, with 505 newborns named Leyla — #601 in the national rankings. About 37% of every Leyla on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Leyla ranks #601 for baby girls with 505 births, gradually rising (+10%). All told, over 11K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to 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 Leyla

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

Names that sound like Leyla

Phonetically similar names — useful when Leyla 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 Leyla

What does the name Leyla 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.
What is the origin of the name Leyla?
Leyla has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Turkish, Azerbaijani, Turkmen, Kurdish, Persian, Arabic, English.
How popular is Leyla in 2026?
In 2026, Leyla ranks #601 among girls' names in the U.S., with 505 babies given the name that year.
When was Leyla most popular?
Leyla reached its peak popularity in 2026, ranking #586 that year with 505 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Leyla most popular?
Leyla has historically been most popular in District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, New Mexico. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Leyla.
Is Leyla a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Leyla is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Leyla?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Leyla include Lindy, Portia, Carmel. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Leyla?
Common variants and related forms of Leyla include Laïla, Laila, Layla, Leila, Leilah, Leili. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

👧
Lindy
Peak #586
👧
Portia
Peak #587
👧
Carmel
Peak #585
👧
Noel
Peak #587
👧
Malissa
Peak #588
👧
Pattie
Peak #584
👧
Jeanna
Peak #584
👧
Shannan
Peak #588

About the name Leyla

Leyla is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1957 and has accumulated 11K births in the dataset. Leyla's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #586. Use the chart and map above to compare Leyla'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.