The first name Leila
A girl’s name from Arabic.
Pronounced /ˈleɪlə/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Arabic origin
From Arabic لَيْلَى (laylā). Taken into English usage through nineteenth-century literature.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 171 girls were named Leila, making it the 268th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2012, with 431 births (#132).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Leila with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Leila at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,193 girls born in the United States were named Leila, the 259th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 2010, when 1,509 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.
Leila in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Leila
44 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Leila LopesAngolan beauty pageant titleholder, born 1986
- Leïla SlimaniFrench-Moroccan writer and journalist, born 1981
- Leila AhmedEgyptian-American writer and professor, born 1940
- Leila AbashidzeGeorgian actress, film director, and writer (1929-2018)
- Leïla BekhtiFrench actress, born 1984
- Leila de LimaFilipino politician, born 1959
- Leila MeskhiGeorgian female tennis player, born 1968
- Leila HyamsAmerican actress (1905-1977)
- Leila DenmarkAmerican pediatrician (1898–2012)
- Leila ZerrouguiAlgerian legal expert, born 1956
- Leila DjansiAmerican-Ghanaian filmmaker, born 1981
- Leila BarrosBrazilian politician and volleyball player, born 1971
More Arabic girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Leila mean?
- From Arabic لَيْلَى (laylā). Taken into English usage through nineteenth-century literature.
- What is the origin of the name Leila?
- From Arabic لَيْلَى (laylā). Taken into English usage through nineteenth-century literature.
- How popular is the name Leila?
- In 2025, 171 girls born in England and Wales were named Leila, ranking 268th. Its peak was 2012, with 431 births.
- Is Leila a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 55,447 US babies named Leila since 1880 were girls.
- When was Leila most popular?
- 2010 in the United States, when 1,509 babies were named Leila, its highest rank at 205th.
- How do you pronounce Leila?
- Leila is /ˈleɪlə/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Leila?
- Leyla, Leilah, Leylah, Laila, Layla and Lailah.