Kayla
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Kayla
Kayla is a modern invented name that emerged in the late 1950s. It may have been inspired by the similar sounding Michaela, though it could equally have come about as a combination of the then popular name popular name Kay and the familiar -la suffix.
Alternatively, it may be a variation of the Yiddish name Kaila, which derived from the Hebrew name Kelila or from the Biblical place name, Keila. As such, its meanings could be "crown, wreath, garland" or "fortress, citadel" respectively.
It might even be considered an Anglicization of the Gaelic surnames MacCaollaidhe ("slender") or MacCathail ("battle rule").
Kayla sprang from obscurity due to a soap opera, Days of Our Lives, in the 1980s to become a superstar, reaching Number 12. While it has now declined in popular, it does still rank in the Top 400 in the US, the UK, and France.
Kayla is also given to boys.
Pronounced KAY-luh.
As of October 2026, Kayla ranked #364 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #11 in 1995, Nameberry popularity #288.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #101 | 3,012 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #115 | 2,740 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #129 | 2,470 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #138 | 2,127 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #149 | 1,890 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #182 | 1,612 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #216 | 1,339 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #254 | 1,216 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #280 | 1,132 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #324 | 952 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #336 | 931 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #364 | 838 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Kayla.
Kayla on lists
Famous Kaylas
- Kayla CollinsGirl
American model
- Kayla Noelle EwellGirl
American actress
- Kayla RadomskiGirl
American dancer and finalist on "So You Think You Can Dance"
- Kayla PedersenGirl
American basketball player
- Kayla McBrideGirl
American basketball player
- Kayla HarrisonGirl
American judoka
- Kayla McCormickGirl
sister of American actress Sierra McCormick
- Kayla Barclay HallGirl
American beauty queen; Miss Utah 2008
- Kayla MartellGirl
American beauty queen; Miss Delaware 2010
- Kayla Blake (born Elsie Mapuana Sniffen)Girl
American actress
- Kayla Denise ParkerGirl
American R&B singer
- Kayla ReevesGirl
American pop singer of the Trans,Siberian Orchestra
- Kayla McAlisterGirl
New Zealand rugby player
- Kayla McCall TauscheGirl
American TV journalist
- Kayla J. YooGirl
South Korean pop singer
- Kayla SchmuckerGirl
Abe and Rebecca Schmucker's daughter from TLC's Breaking Amish
- Kayla DeitzGirl
daughter of TV personality Terry Deitz ("Survivor")
- Kayla Jacquelyn Haas (b. 2006)Girl
daughter of pro wrestlers Charlie Haas and Jackie Gayda
- Kayla Brianna SmithGirl
daughter of basketball player Kenny Smith
- Kayla Leslie CaballeroGirl
daughter of skateboarder Steve Caballero
- Kayla EarnhardtGirl
daughter of NASCAR driver Kerry Earnhardt
- Kayla MoodyGirl
Instagram Model & U.S. Military Wife
- Kayla SimsGirl
American YouTuber
Kayla in pop culture
- Kayla BradyGirl
character on TV soap "Days of Our Lives"
- Kayla RobinsonGirl
character in the "House of Night" series
- Kayla HuntingtonGirl
character on TV's "Desperate Housewives"
- Kayla VanceGirl
character on TV's "NCIS"
- KaylaGirl
character in movie "Carpool"
- KaylaGirl
daughter of Apollo, in Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan
- KaylaGirl
stepsister to Cinderella in Whatever After series (sister to Beatrice and daughter to Betty)
- KaylaGirl
lead character from the film "Eighth Grade"
- KaylaGirl
character in Suspu's webcomic "Shootaround".
- Kayla MorganGirl
main character in movie "Cloud 9"