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Leila as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Leila

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The baby name Leila is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced LAY-lah (/ˈleɪlə/); Arabic approximation: /ˈlajla/.

Leila is Arabic in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: LAY-lah (/ˈleɪlə/); Arabic approximation: /ˈlajla/

What is the meaning of the name Leila ?

The baby name Leila is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced LAY-lah (/ˈleɪlə/); Arabic approximation: /ˈlajla/.

Leila is Arabic in Origin.

Leila is an Arabic and Persian feminine name from Arabic Laylā (ليلى), derived from layl "night," connoting "nighttime beauty" or "born at night"; in classical verse it also evoked passion or intoxication. It spread across the Islamic world through Persian and Arabic poetry, most famously Nizami’s Layla and Majnun, where Layla personifies unattainable love. The name entered European languages in the 18th–19th centuries via Orientalist literature - appearing in Byron’s The Giaour and Bulwer-Lytton’s Leila - and later gained wide Anglophone use, with a 1970s boost through the song "Layla."

Common variants include Layla, Laila, Leyla (Turkish/Azeri), Lejla (Bosnian), and Leilah. Related but etymologically distinct are Lila/Leela (Sanskrit "play") and Lilah (Hebrew "night"). Modern nicknames include Lei and Lela. Today Leila balances an elegant, international feel with a timeless meaning rooted in the imagery of night.

Leila has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Leila

Leila Meskhi Athlete · Born 1968 · Georgia Leila Meskhi is best known as a retired Georgian professional tennis player. Born on 5 January 1968, she won five singles titles and five doubles titles on the WTA Tour. Leila Forouhar Musician · Born 1958 · Iran Leila Forouhar is an Iranian singer best known for her long-running pop music career. She first worked as an actress, then left Iran after the 1979 revolution and eventually settled in Los Angeles; some of her well-known songs include “Dokhtar Irooni,” “Shabha,” and “Del Ey Del.”

Celebrity babies named Leila

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Leila George Vincent D'Onofrio television actor ★★★★★

Leila – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
BF Girls 0 #15 3 315
DJ 0 #15 3 322
DJ Girls 0 #16 13 488
BW 0 #19 1 960
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
BI Girls 0 #33 1 726
TM Girls 0 #33 3 574
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
DJ Boys 0 #36 1 657
GE 0 #36 9 997
GE Girls 0 #36 104 1,564
EE 0 #37 1 1,051
AZ 0 #41 3 706
MT 0 #43 1 1,767
MO 0 #51 2 2,706
CM 0 #53 4 2,592
PR 0 #55 1 1,497
IR Girls 0 #57 2,647 8,334
CY 0 #59 2 1,632
KZ 0 #59 33 1,452
AZ Girls 0 #61 14 1,051
LU 0 #61 6 2,830
Finland Girls 2026 #70 9,265 3,895
KZ Girls 0 #70 657 5,862
JP 0 #74 4 4,057
AO 0 #75 3 2,729
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
CN 0 #83 4 3,857
PH 0 #85 12 5,607
LT 0 #87 2 949
AF Girls 0 #89 6 2,402
TN 0 #89 6,882 13,765
MD Girls 0 #90 3 865
QA 0 #91 10 7,011
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
ID Girls 0 #100 3 3,319
SD 0 #100 3 2,130
Finland Girls 0 #102 1,168 1,368
HU 0 #105 10 1,675
OM 0 #105 12 6,215
Switzerland Girls 2024 #112 24 1,786
BN Girls 0 #112 3 5,459
KW 0 #116 6 5,216
Norway Girls 2025 #120 7 453
EE Girls 0 #120 19 1,888
CY Girls 0 #122 4 3,755
IQ 0 #130 4 3,533
AZ Boys 0 #131 1 1,400
LU Girls 0 #131 56 4,850
MU 0 #132 6 3,613
JO 0 #133 8 2,158
PA 0 #133 6 3,797
RS Girls 0 #133 5 1,651
GR 0 #134 2 3,911
AO Girls 0 #135 79 4,575
Sweden Girls 2022 #139 41 1,568
MT Girls 0 #142 10 3,773
BR Girls 0 #148 3,558 12,708
AE 0 #150 28 10,220
BW Girls 0 #151 1 4,216
IR 0 #152 84 4,221
AR 0 #157 30 2,915
MA 0 #158 9,529 20,986
Belgium Girls 2024 #159 27 424
PR Girls 0 #161 7 3,171
SI Girls 0 #162 13 2,769
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
HU Girls 0 #169 57 3,308
Canada Girls 2024 #174 114 2,795
RU Girls 0 #174 610 11,913
RU 0 #177 13 3,641
HR 0 #179 3 2,081
UY 0 #181 2 2,477
BR 0 #184 174 5,969
LT Girls 0 #184 11 1,904
CZ 0 #185 2 3,154
DK 0 #189 15 5,198
Finland 0 #191 131 830
GR Girls 0 #197 46 6,293
LB 0 #198 825 13,263
DZ 0 #206 3,800 20,130
JP Girls 0 #211 35 6,592
QA Girls 0 #216 101 15,378
PT 0 #217 30 4,161
DK Girls 0 #219 101 7,429
PS 0 #221 6 5,692
AL Girls 0 #222 6 4,141
BG Girls 0 #223 9 3,559
EC Girls 0 #228 12 3,650
NA Girls 0 #233 5 7,146
MO Girls 0 #238 14 7,056
PT Girls 0 #238 294 7,952
United States Girls 2024 #241 1,191 8,487
GH 0 #245 4 5,396
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
AR Girls 0 #257 581 8,289
SG 0 #259 11 11,010
TW Girls 0 #261 16 8,139
SD Girls 0 #263 83 7,678
HR Girls 0 #267 23 3,687
OM Girls 0 #271 126 15,987
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
SA 0 #272 24 10,560
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
JM Girls 0 #273 6 7,507
IL 0 #278 5 6,291
JO Girls 0 #283 43 7,570
MU Girls 0 #286 66 8,539
AE Girls 0 #292 271 20,968
PH Girls 0 #293 99 13,098
KZ Boys 0 #295 2 6,578
PE 0 #299 12 6,350
France Girls 2021 #300 108 3,185
CN Girls 0 #301 49 8,829
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
GH Girls 0 #313 12 6,973
CZ Girls 0 #314 28 5,378
Austria Girls 0 #320 102 1,885
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
GT 0 #337 2 5,948
PL Girls 0 #343 12 5,096
EG 0 #346 55 6,387
EG Girls 0 #347 1,146 14,742
CM Girls 0 #349 200 11,671
MY 0 #349 6 12,352
HK 0 #350 8 8,483
NL 0 #356 36 2,481
BO 0 #367 15 6,868
YE 0 #371 11 8,639
PT Boys 0 #380 2 7,951
JO Boys 0 #387 3 7,057
CL 0 #390 22 6,867
IT Girls 0 #392 2,812 9,415
PA Girls 0 #393 89 9,861
KW Girls 0 #397 119 19,177
UY Girls 0 #405 108 6,731
PH Boys 0 #406 3 11,440
Germany 0 #408 30 2,542
CR Girls 0 #410 123 11,342
Spain 0 #412 41 2,326
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
ZA 0 #421 27 14,421
PS Girls 0 #426 98 10,981
IQ Girls 0 #433 72 11,303
MX 0 #439 7 8,339
Spain Girls 0 #441 776 5,561
CO 0 #450 31 7,768
Germany Girls 0 #456 481 4,949
SD Boys 0 #465 2 10,523
AR Boys 0 #475 9 7,628
LY 0 #484 52 12,703
IR Boys 0 #485 68 10,162
GT Girls 0 #487 19 7,500
BO Girls 0 #495 117 9,488
SY 0 #498 250 11,684
BH 0 #501 53 17,937
CR Boys 0 #510 1 10,188
RU Boys 0 #519 8 12,621
IL Girls 0 #520 98 11,648
SA Girls 0 #525 441 25,931
SG Girls 0 #530 57 18,916
CO Girls 0 #539 785 16,140
NL Girls 0 #553 451 5,933
HK Girls 0 #558 58 16,104
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
IT 0 #566 150 4,183
CM Boys 0 #568 8 12,054
CL Girls 0 #599 261 14,098
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
IL Boys 0 #625 1 10,983
PE Girls 0 #641 334 14,861
IQ Boys 0 #691 7 13,071
CL Boys 0 #699 2 13,390
BR Boys 0 #715 37 12,213
SG Boys 0 #739 1 17,960
QA Boys 0 #741 3 18,093
NG Girls 0 #774 13 15,093
KW Boys 0 #803 4 18,755
EG Boys 0 #864 23 15,035
United States Boys 2017 #881 5 7,410
TR 0 #889 344 19,440
ZA Girls 0 #902 240 25,928
OM Boys 0 #913 6 17,948
Spain Boys 0 #921 10 5,610
PE Boys 0 #922 5 14,506
MY Girls 0 #929 66 24,821
CO Boys 0 #974 8 15,656
MX Girls 0 #979 205 17,781
MX Boys 0 #1,028 6 16,355
AE Boys 0 #1,083 10 22,615
ZA Boys 0 #1,270 3 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,430 42 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,595 20 28,008

Leila is popular in 94 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Scotland, United Kingdom
Canada
Ireland

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

People also ask about Leila

Leila is predominantly a girl's name.
Leila is a 2 syllable name, pronounced LAY-lah (/ˈleɪlə/); Arabic approximation: /ˈlajla/.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Layla, Laila, Leyla, Leïla, Laylah and Leela.
Across languages, Leila has these equivalents: Layla/Laila/Leyla (cognates in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Hebrew), Lejla (Bosnian), Nisha (Sanskrit/Hindi, meaning 'night'), Nyx (Greek, goddess/personification of night), Nox (Latin, 'night', rare as a given name).
Yes, very popular — Leila ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Leila ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Leila's popularity is declining significantly. It moved from #226 in 2011 to #300 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 2 notable people named Leila are in our database, including Leila Meskhi (Athlete), Leila Forouhar (Musician).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Leila for their child, including Vincent D'Onofrio.