Girl · #436 in 2026

Nylah

Nailah Thorbourne, better known by her stage name Nyla, is a Jamaican singer from Kingston. Nyla was a member of the R&B and reggae duo Brick & Lace whose debut album, Love Is Wicked, was released by Geffen and KonLive in 2007 and featured the chart topping single "Love Is Wicked". She is best known for being featured on Major Lazer's "Light It Up".

  • English
Current Rank
#436
Peak Rank
#363 (2019)
Total Babies
15K
5-Yr Trend
-7%
1992
First Year
2026
Last Year
2019
Peak Year
#363
Peak Rank
15K
Total Count
33
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Nylah

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

Nailah Thorbourne, better known by her stage name Nyla, is a Jamaican singer from Kingston. Nyla was a member of the R&B and reggae duo Brick & Lace whose debut album, Love Is Wicked, was released by Geffen and KonLive in 2007 and featured the chart topping single "Love Is Wicked". She is best known for being featured on Major Lazer's "Light It Up".

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Nylah

Nylah first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1992, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2019, when 869 Nylahs were born — ranking #363 that year. As of 2026, Nylah ranks #436 for baby girls with 707 births, gradually falling (-7%). In total, more than 15K Nylahs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s 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 Nylah

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

Names that sound like Nylah

Phonetically similar names — useful when Nylah 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 Nylah

What does the name Nylah mean?
Nailah Thorbourne, better known by her stage name Nyla, is a Jamaican singer from Kingston. Nyla was a member of the R&B and reggae duo Brick & Lace whose debut album, Love Is Wicked, was released by Geffen and KonLive in 2007 and featured the chart topping single "Love Is Wicked". She is best known for being featured on Major Lazer's "Light It Up".
What is the origin of the name Nylah?
Nylah has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Nylah in 2026?
In 2026, Nylah ranks #436 among girls' names in the U.S., with 707 babies given the name that year.
When was Nylah most popular?
Nylah reached its peak popularity in 2019, ranking #363 that year with 869 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Nylah most popular?
Nylah has historically been most popular in District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Delaware. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Nylah.
Is Nylah a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Nylah is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Nylah?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Nylah include Zola, Thalia, Larissa. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Nylah?
Common variants and related forms of Nylah include Nyla. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Nylah

Nylah is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1992 and has accumulated 15K births in the dataset. Nylah's peak popularity came in 2019 when it ranked #363. Use the chart and map above to compare Nylah'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.