The first name Leela
A girl’s name from Sanskrit.
2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Sanskrit origin
A female given name from Sanskrit used in India, a spelling variant of Lila.
A form of Lila.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 51 girls were named Leela, making it the 719th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2015, with 126 births (#365).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Leela with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Leela at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 175 girls born in the United States were named Leela, the 1,282nd most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 2016, when 232 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
Famous people named Leela
2 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Leela JamesAmerican musician, born 1983
- Leela SavastaCanadian actress, born 1985
More Sanskrit girls’ names
Questions
- What is the origin of the name Leela?
- Leela comes from Sanskrit.
- How popular is the name Leela?
- In 2025, 51 girls born in England and Wales were named Leela, ranking 719th. Its peak was 2015, with 126 births.
- Is Leela a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 4,545 US babies named Leela since 1880 were girls.
- When was Leela most popular?
- 2016 in the United States, when 232 babies were named Leela, its highest rank at 1,106th.
- What name is Leela a form of?
- Leela is a form of Lila.
- What are other spellings of Leela?
- Lila.