Leila
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Leila
Leila was popularized in the West by the poet Byron, who used it in his poem Don Juan for a ten-year-old Turkish girl. Leila also appears as a fairy in the Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera Iolanthe.
The haunting Leila been chosen by such celebs as Al Roker and Greta Scacchi and Vincent D'Onofrio. While Leila has managed to appear on the Top 1000 list in the U.S. every year but two, phonetic form Layla is now much higher on the list in America. And parents attracted to girl names with the double l sound will find that most examples -- from Leila to Lila to Lily and Lillian and Lilith-- are zooming up the charts and, while classics, are undeniably trendy.
Yet another alternative is Lelia, a Latin name used in Roman times.
Leila is also given to boys.
Pronounced LAY-luh.
As of October 2026, Leila ranked #259 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #165 in 1880.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #243 | 1,331 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #248 | 1,307 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #230 | 1,393 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #220 | 1,410 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #239 | 1,358 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #225 | 1,387 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #205 | 1,408 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #214 | 1,384 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #246 | 1,245 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #240 | 1,271 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #268 | 1,191 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #259 | 1,193 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Leila for girls
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Leila.
Leila on lists
Famous Leilas
- Leila AboulelaGirl
Sudanese writer
- Leila AhmedGirl
Egyptian,American professor
- Leila DinizGirl
Brazilian actress and feminist
- Leila BarrosGirl
Brazilian volleyball player
- Leila BelaGirl
American musician, actress and writer
- Leila DenmarkGirl
American pediatrician
- Leila ForouharGirl
Iranian singer and actress
- Leila HatamiGirl
Iranian actress
- Leila HayesGirl
Australian actress
- Leila HyamsGirl
American film actress
- Leila JosefowiczGirl
American violinist
- Leila KGirl
Swedish rapper
- Leila KhaledGirl
Palestinian Militant
- Leila LopesGirl
Miss Universe 2011 winner
- Leila McKinnonGirl
Kiwi,Australian journalist
- Leila MouradGirl
Egyptian singer and movie star
- Leila PahlaviGirl
Iranian princess
- Leila SobralGirl
Brazilian basketball player
- Leila TongGirl
Hong Kong actress and singer
- Leila VaziriGirl
American swimmer, world record holder
- Leila Boyer (b. 2009)Girl
daughter of novelist Edwidge Danticat
- Leila Emmanuelle Mathison (b. 2006)Girl
daughter of Cameron Mathison
- Leila Rey Valencia (b. 2009)Girl
daughter of Judy Reyes
Leila in pop culture
- LeilaGirl
character in Sharon Creech's "Bloomability"
- LeilaGirl
a fairy in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera Iolanthe (1882)
- Leila HunterGirl
character from "When in Rome"
- Leila OkulgenGirl
character in novel "Does My Head Look Big in This?"
- Leila SmithGirl
an infant "number" in TV Drama "Person of Interest"
- Leila WilliamsGirl
character in the fifthy shades of darker
- Leila HopeGirl
little girl character in film "Southpaw"
- Leila Mae PotterGirl
main character of the story 'Lost Along the Way' by JanuaryLily