Given name & surname
Lela
“night”·“a beauty of the night; born at nightfall”
In English use, Lela has a related form in Leila. One Arabic interpretation is “night.” Lela is a variant of Laila. One Arabic interpretation is “a beauty of the night; born at nightfall.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Lela has a related form in Leila. One Arabic interpretation is “night.” Lela is a variant of Laila. One Arabic interpretation is “a beauty of the night; born at nightfall.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Lela has a related form in Leila. An origin associated with Leila is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Lela has a related form in Leila. The history of Leila gives this family its wider 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Lela through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 43,073
- 68 boys · 43,005 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 907 babies
- 2025
- 76
- #2,374 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −30%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 76 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,374 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 29.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 907 in 1921. In 2025, Ohio had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 12,330 as a first name in 2020; 158 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.
Lela’s family of names
In English usage, Lela has a related form in Leila. Lela has a related form in Laila. In Greek usage, Lela is a transliteration of Λέλα.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 12
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Elenaequivalent
- Lenaequivalent
- Elinaequivalent
- Eleniequivalent
- Jelenaequivalent
- Nitsaequivalent
- Јеленаequivalent
- Έλεναequivalent
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People named Lela
- Lela JavakhishviliGeorgian chess playerborn 1984
- Lela RochonAmerican actress and film producer (born 1964)
- Lela KaragianniGreek resistance leader1898–1944
- Lela TsurtsumiaGeorgian singerborn 1969
- Lela BlissAmerican actress (1896-1980)
- LelaBrazilian footballerborn 1962
- Lela Leeactress, writer, cartoonist, creator, producerborn 2000
- Lela Chichinadzefootballerborn 1988
- Lela BrooksCanadian speed skater1908–1990
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lela, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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