Leila

At a Glance: Name: Leila – Meaning: night – Origin: Arabic – Gender: Girl – Pronunciation: LAY-lah

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Leila is an Arabic name meaning simply 'night,' pronounced LAY-lah. You may see it glossed elsewhere as 'dark beauty' or 'beautiful dark-haired woman' — that's a popular embellishment, not part of the literal Arabic root. It has a vintage, worldly feel.

Meaning & Origin of Leila

Meaning: Night.

Origin: Arabic.

A common claim: Often glossed as 'dark beauty' or 'beautiful dark-haired woman,' in addition to 'night.' Actually: 'Dark beauty' is a popular embellishment, not part of the literal Arabic root — layla simply means 'night.'

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Leila

Phonetic: LAY-lah   IPA: /ˈleɪlə/

Popularity of Leila

Leila hit its SSA peak rank of #165 back in 1880, when just 80 babies got the name; by 2024 it ranked #268, yet 1191 babies were named Leila that year — more than at its historic peak rank.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.

Make Leila Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Leila, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.

Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

• Aaliyah
• Aisha
• Alaia
• Alayah
• Aleena
• Alia

FAQ

What does the name Leila mean?

Night. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Leila)

How do you pronounce Leila?

Leila is pronounced LAY-lah (IPA: /ˈleɪlə/).

Is Leila a popular name right now?

Leila peaked at #165 in 1880 and is ranked #268 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)

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