Fun Facts About the Name Leylah
- More than 1 thousand babies named Leylah: U.S. records list 1,004 babies given the name Leylah from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Leylah Mean?
Leylah is a spelling variant of the Arabic name Layla, also written Laila, Leila, or Leyla. It derives from the Arabic word layl (ليل), meaning "night." The personal name Laylā (ليلى) is built on that root with a feminine ending. The literal sense is therefore "night." English sources sometimes gloss the name as "dark beauty" or "night beauty," but that is a customary interpretation rather than a literal translation of the Arabic word.
Leylah Name History & Origins
Layla is a classical Arabic given name, and the name was in use before the love story most often attached to it. Its best-known literary appearance is in the tale of Qays ibn al-Mulawwah, known as Majnūn Laylā ("the madman of Layla"), an Arabic romance set in the Umayyad period of the seventh and eighth centuries and written down in later collections. The Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi adapted the story as Layla and Majnun around 1188, and versions in Persian, Turkish, and other languages carried both the tale and the name widely.
The name entered European languages through translations of that literature and through contact with Arabic-, Persian-, and Turkish-speaking regions, appearing as Leila, Laila, Layla, and Leyla. The spelling Leylah belongs to this same group of phonetic variants; the final -ah reflects a common way of rendering the Arabic ending -ā and of anglicizing the name in English.
How Popular is the Name Leylah?
Leylah has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2023. Its best rank was #2,745 in 2023.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,277 | 48 | 0.0030% |
| 2024 | #3,602 | 43 | 0.0027% |
| 2023 | #2,745 | 63 | 0.0039% |
| 2022 | #2,771 | 62 | 0.0038% |
| 2021 | #3,138 | 52 | 0.0032% |
| 2020 | #3,582 | 42 | 0.0026% |
| 2019 | #3,587 | 43 | 0.0026% |
| 2018 | #3,274 | 49 | 0.0029% |
| 2017 | #2,889 | 58 | 0.0034% |
| 2016 | #2,787 | 62 | 0.0035% |
| 2015 | #3,072 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 2014 | #2,957 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 2013 | #3,150 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 2012 | #3,828 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 2011 | #3,972 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2010 | #3,547 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2009 | #3,545 | 46 | 0.0025% |
| 2008 | #4,831 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2007 | #5,819 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2006 | #6,258 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #6,706 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2004 | #9,621 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #6,774 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #9,945 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #12,862 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #11,350 | 8 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Leylah Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You always bring to completion anything you start. You are generous but like to see returns from your giving. You have an executive ability, you are a leader. You are moral, balanced, honest and intellectual, and you may attain spirituality. You are wise and practical with an appreciation of beauty. You always think before you act. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Leylah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Leylah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.