Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Kayla isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1933. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kayla through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 347,144
- 574 boys · 346,570 girls
- Most popular year
- 1991
- 18,580 babies
- 2025
- 838
- #364 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −46%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 838 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 364 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 46.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 18,545 in 1991. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (124). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 303,207 as a first name in 2020; 168 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kayla’s family of names
Kayla has a related form in Kaila. Kayla is a form of Kayley.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Kayla
- Kayla EwellAmerican actressborn 1985
- Kayla HarrisonAmerican Olympic judoka and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighterborn 1990
- Kayla BarronAmerican astronautborn 1987
- Kayla DayAmerican female tennis playerborn 1999
- Kayla MuellerAmerican aid worker and ISIS captive (1988–2015)
- Kayla SanchezFilipino-Canadian swimmerborn 2001
- Kayla BanwarthAmerican volleyball player and coachborn 1989
- Kayla McBrideAmerican basketball player (born 1992)
- Kayla MaisonetAmerican actressborn 1999
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kayla, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kara
“one who is pure” · “dearly loved”
>99% girls
Ana
“a woman graced with God's favor” · “he (God) has favoured me (i.e. with a child)”
>99% girls
Cassandra
“an unheeded prophetess”
>99% girls
Kaylyn
“a beautiful girl from the meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls
Kendra
“having royal power; from the high hill” · “a royal ruler”
>99% girls
Karina
“one who is dear and pure”
>99% girls
Kaycee
“vigilant, wakeful” · “a vigilant woman”
15% boys · 85% girls
Carly
“a free woman” · “from the farmer's meadow”
>99% girls