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Leela
OriginSanskrit
Meaning"play"
US Rank#1282
2025 SSA
About Leela
While Leela may be a spelling variation of Lila or Leila, it's also an Indian name in its own right with a playful meaning. And unlike it's more popular Western sisters, Leela does not create pronunciation confusion.
Pronounced LEE-luh.
As of October 2026, Leela ranked #1282 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1088 in 2013.
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 | #1,146 | 218 | 122 |
| 2015 | #1,207 | 207 | 116 |
| 2016 | #1,106 | 232 | 130.9 |
| 2017 | #1,146 | 217 | 125.7 |
| 2018 | #1,207 | 196 | 115.2 |
| 2019 | #1,224 | 192 | 114.4 |
| 2020 | #1,194 | 194 | 120 |
| 2021 | #1,287 | 179 | 109.1 |
| 2022 | #1,320 | 179 | 109.1 |
| 2023 | #1,280 | 179 | 111.6 |
| 2024 | #1,257 | 185 | 114.2 |
| 2025 | #1,282 | 175 | 108.9 |
World rankings
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Leela on lists
Famous Leelas
- Leela Naidu
Indian actress and renowned beauty
- Leela James
American R&B singer,songwriter
- Leela Gandhi
Indian academic; great,granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi
- Leela Mishra
Indian actress
- Blu Leela Minsker (b. 2011)
daughter of filmmaker Ethan Minsker
Leela in pop culture
- Turanga Leela
character on "Futurama" who is known simply as Leela
- Leela
companion on TV's "Doctor Who"
- Leela Kantaria
character on TV's "Nikita"
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