Leila
Leila is a girl's name of Arabic origin.
Meaning
Night, dark beauty, or daughter of the night.
Origin and history
Leila is a given name of Arabic origin meaning night or dark beauty. It gained enduring literary popularity in the Western world through Romantic poetry inspired by Middle Eastern legends. In the United States, it has experienced a strong revival in recent decades as a soft, classic name.
Popularity in the United States
55,436 babies in the United States have been named Leila since 1880. It ranks #548 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #233.
States where it is most popular
- CA (17.4 %)
- NY (8.7 %)
- TX (8.7 %)
- FL (6.7 %)
- GA (6.1 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 1,079 |
| 1890-1900 | 1,588 |
| 1900-1910 | 1,529 |
| 1910-1920 | 2,830 |
| 1920-1930 | 3,340 |
| 1930-1940 | 2,473 |
| 1940-1950 | 1,852 |
| 1950-1960 | 1,740 |
| 1960-1970 | 1,578 |
| 1970-1980 | 1,624 |
| 1980-1990 | 2,106 |
| 1990-2000 | 2,177 |
| 2000-2010 | 9,904 |
| 2010-2019 | 13,914 |
| 2020-2029 | 7,702 |
Famous people named Leila
- Leila George: Actress
- Leila Hyams: Actress
Nicknames
Lei, Lulu
Fun facts
- The name gained broad European fame through Lord Byron's poems and the classic Persian romance of Layla and Majnun.
- It shares modern popularity with alternative spellings such as Layla and Laila.