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Kayla as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Kayla

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The baby name Kayla is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KAY-lə (IPA: /ˈkeɪlə/).

Kayla is English in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: English
Pronunciation: KAY-lə (IPA: /ˈkeɪlə/)

What is the meaning of the name Kayla ?

The baby name Kayla is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KAY-lə (IPA: /ˈkeɪlə/).

Kayla is English in Origin.

Kayla has several converging sources. In Jewish use, Kaila/Keila (pronounced KAY-lə) appears in Ashkenazi records and is often linked to Hebrew Kelila, “crown” or “laurel.” In English-speaking contexts, Kayla also works as a clipped or stylized form of Michaela, the feminine of Michael, yielding the meaning “Who is like God?”; alternatively, it can be a modern elaboration of Kay, itself a short form of Katherine (“pure”).

The name entered mainstream American fashion in the late 20th century, spiking in the 1980s - boosted by television characters - and staying near the U.S. Top 20 through the 1990s before receding, while remaining popular in Canada, Australia, and the UK. Spellings and cousins include Kaila, Kaylah, Kaela, Keila, Keyla, and the longer forms Makayla/Mikayla; related offshoots are Kaylin and Kaylee. Kay is the most common nickname. Overall, Kayla conveys either regal imagery (“crown”) or enduring faith (“Who is like God?”).

Kayla has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Kayla

Kayla Ewell Actor · Born 1985 · United States Kayla Ewell is an American actress best known for playing Vicki Donovan on The Vampire Diaries. She’s also known for her roles as Caitlin Ramirez on The Bold and the Beautiful and Maureen Sampson on Freaks and Geeks.

Kayla – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
Germany Girls 2025 #1 — 411
FJ Girls 0 #9 1 583
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
New Zealand Girls 2010 #46 71 98
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
JM 0 #53 35 3,714
PR 0 #55 1 1,497
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
ID Girls 0 #87 12 3,319
JM Girls 0 #91 227 7,507
MD Girls 0 #92 1 865
KZ 0 #94 1 1,452
TW 0 #99 5 4,523
Switzerland Girls 2024 #100 36 1,786
PH 0 #107 4 5,607
BN Girls 0 #110 5 5,459
BW Girls 0 #120 29 4,216
EC 0 #120 2 2,502
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
CR 0 #136 23 5,526
BN Boys 0 #138 2 6,332
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
Canada Girls 2024 #143 154 2,795
Belgium Girls 2024 #150 36 424
MT Girls 0 #151 3 3,773
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
PR Girls 0 #164 4 3,171
Sweden Girls 2022 #167 13 1,568
France Girls 2021 #180 284 3,185
LU Girls 0 #188 3 4,850
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
NA Girls 0 #203 22 7,146
AO Girls 0 #212 6 4,575
HU Girls 0 #224 2 3,308
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
MO Girls 0 #229 23 7,056
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
JP Girls 0 #243 9 6,592
TW Girls 0 #244 33 8,139
GH 0 #247 2 5,396
CN Girls 0 #249 101 8,829
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
TW Boys 0 #254 3 7,111
JM Boys 0 #262 11 6,876
NG 0 #270 3 5,926
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
IL 0 #278 5 6,291
SG 0 #278 5 11,010
HR Girls 0 #293 2 3,687
United States Girls 2024 #296 931 8,487
GH Girls 0 #301 24 6,973
QA Girls 0 #301 16 15,378
Canada Boys 1992 #306 7 1,690
SA 0 #311 2 10,560
ZA 0 #322 126 14,421
PE 0 #329 1 6,350
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
JO Girls 0 #336 4 7,570
ZA Girls 0 #336 1,778 25,928
MY 0 #348 7 12,352
HK 0 #349 9 8,483
CZ Girls 0 #351 1 5,378
PH Girls 0 #354 37 13,098
BR 0 #358 3 5,969
SD Girls 0 #358 1 7,678
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
CR Girls 0 #366 171 11,342
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
OM Girls 0 #377 20 15,987
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
BO 0 #407 2 6,868
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
PT Girls 0 #441 11 7,952
MX 0 #443 3 8,339
SG Girls 0 #453 134 18,916
PA Girls 0 #458 24 9,861
HK Girls 0 #462 154 16,104
RU Girls 0 #480 19 11,913
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
GT Girls 0 #496 10 7,500
AE Girls 0 #498 56 20,968
KW Girls 0 #500 16 19,177
UY Girls 0 #501 10 6,731
PS Girls 0 #508 16 10,981
CR Boys 0 #510 1 10,188
CM Girls 0 #512 29 11,671
IQ Girls 0 #522 4 11,303
RU Boys 0 #524 3 12,621
BH 0 #542 12 17,937
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
HK Boys 0 #555 3 12,905
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
BO Girls 0 #598 14 9,488
IL Girls 0 #599 19 11,648
BD Boys 0 #605 1 10,045
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
AR Girls 0 #623 8 8,289
LB 0 #649 10 13,263
IN Girls 0 #654 1 13,121
NG Girls 0 #666 122 15,093
Finland Girls 2026 #689 50 3,895
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
CL Boys 0 #700 1 13,390
IT 0 #702 13 4,183
SG Boys 0 #738 2 17,960
QA Boys 0 #742 2 18,093
SY 0 #765 3 11,684
BR Boys 0 #782 4 12,213
KW Boys 0 #801 6 18,755
CL Girls 0 #810 42 14,098
Germany Girls 0 #811 28 4,949
MY Girls 0 #811 184 24,821
BR Girls 0 #832 110 12,708
SA Girls 0 #844 92 25,931
TN 0 #862 4 13,765
NL Girls 0 #871 85 5,933
United States Boys 2019 #887 5 7,235
EG Girls 0 #905 55 14,742
PE Girls 0 #910 34 14,861
OM Boys 0 #916 3 17,948
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
Spain Girls 0 #946 38 5,561
NG Boys 0 #994 8 16,906
MX Boys 0 #1,032 2 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,039 1 16,750
CO Girls 0 #1,041 38 16,140
MY Boys 0 #1,094 18 25,439
MA 0 #1,096 33 20,986
TR 0 #1,114 98 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,120 64 17,781
ZA Boys 0 #1,139 40 25,619
DZ 0 #1,140 37 20,130
AE Boys 0 #1,141 3 22,615
IT Girls 0 #1,308 139 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,686 6 28,008

Kayla is popular in 78 countries — most recent births per country:

Canada
Ireland
Scotland, United Kingdom
Switzerland
United States

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Kayla

Kayla is predominantly a girl's name.
Kayla is a 2 syllable name, pronounced KAY-lə (IPA: /ˈkeɪlə/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Kaila, Kaylah, Cayla, Kaela, Caela and Caila.
Across languages, Kayla has these equivalents: Kelilah (Hebrew, 'crown'), Kyla (Gaelic), Stephanie/Stefania (Greek, 'crown'), Regina (Latin, 'queen').
Yes, very popular — Kayla ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 12 countries.
Kayla ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Kayla's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 1 notable people named Kayla are in our database, including Kayla Ewell (Actor).