Given name
Leila
“night”
Leila carries the Arabic meaning “night” and a long literary presence in English.
Original Arabicلَيْلَى
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “night.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
How it developed
In Finnish usage, Leila developed from لَيْلَى.
The story
Byron used Leila in The Giaour and Don Juan, and Edward Bulwer-Lytton used it for the heroine of his novel Leila. These works helped make the Arabic name familiar to English-speaking readers.
Leila through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 55,447
- 11 boys · 55,436 girls
- Most popular year
- 2010
- 1,509 babies
- 2025
- 1,193
- #259 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −10%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,193 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 259 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 9.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,509 in 2010. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (211). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 37,753 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Leila’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Leila developed from the Arabic form لَيْلَى. In English usage, Leila has a related form in Layla. In English usage, Leila has a related form in Layla.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Leila has relatives in 12 languages. Lines run from its Arabic roots to each of them.
Arabicwhere Leila comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 16
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Leila
- Leila KhaledPalestinian refugee, former militant, and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestineborn 1944
- Leila LopesAngolan beauty pageant titleholderborn 1986
- Leila HatamiIranian actressborn 1972
- Leila PahlaviIranian princess (1970-2001)
- Leila AbashidzeGeorgian actress, film director, and writer (1929-2018)
- Leila AhmedEgyptian-American writer and professorborn 1940
- Leila AboulelaSudanese writer and playwrightborn 1964
- Leila de LimaFilipino politicianborn 1959
- Leila ForouharIranian actress and singerborn 1958
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Leila, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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