The first name Nila
A girl’s name meaning “of a dark colour”, “blue”, “black”.
Pronounced /nilə/ 2 syllables Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Nila means “of a dark colour”, “blue”, “black”.
From Sanskrit नील (nīla, “of a dark colour; blue; black”), Bengali নীলা (nila, “blue”), or related words in other Indian subcontinent languages.
More names that mean black.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 64 girls were named Nila, making it the 610th most popular girls’ name.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Nila with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Nila at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 116 girls born in the United States were named Nila, the 1,754th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 2022, when 144 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
- Neela
Questions
- What does the name Nila mean?
- Nila means “of a dark colour”, “blue”, “black”.
- How popular is the name Nila?
- In 2025, 64 girls born in England and Wales were named Nila, ranking 610th.
- Is Nila a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 7,136 US babies named Nila since 1880 were girls.
- When was Nila most popular?
- 2022 in the United States, when 144 babies were named Nila, its highest rank at 1,513th.
- How do you pronounce Nila?
- Nila is /nilə/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Nila?
- Neela.
- Is Nila also a surname?
- Yes. Nila is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.