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Nala
OriginAfrican, meaning unknown
US Rank#856
Top 1000
About Nala
A Disney name—Nala was the friend who became the wife of Simba, hero of The Lion King. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2015.
Keenen Ivory Wayans used it for his daughter.
Pronounced NAH-luh.
As of October 2026, Nala ranked #856 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #679 in 2019.
Editor: Pamela Redmond
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
US popularity — history
US rank, lower is more popular · SSA data 2014–2025
Actual · SSA
20142025
18802025
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #994 | 267 | 149.5 |
| 2015 | #950 | 286 | 160.2 |
| 2016 | #781 | 364 | 205.4 |
| 2017 | #766 | 362 | 209.7 |
| 2018 | #743 | 373 | 219.3 |
| 2019 | #679 | 428 | 255 |
| 2020 | #695 | 406 | 251.2 |
| 2021 | #742 | 384 | 234 |
| 2022 | #803 | 351 | 214 |
| 2023 | #846 | 319 | 198.8 |
| 2024 | #752 | 374 | 230.8 |
| 2025 | #856 | 317 | 197.2 |
World rankings
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Nala on lists
Famous Nalas
- Nala Wayans (b. 1996)
daughter of actor Keenan Ivory Wayans
- Nala Ryan Dyrdek (b.2017)
daughter of Rob and Bryiana Dyrdek
Nala in pop culture
- Nala (Swahili word meaning"gift")
lioness in Disney's "The Lion King"
- Nala
pet cat in the House of Night series (PC Cast)
- Nala
male Hindu mythological figure in the Mahabharata
- Nala
monkey figure in the Ramayana
Save Nala
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