Fun Facts About the Name Nilah
- More than 1 thousand babies named Nilah: U.S. records list 1,420 babies given the name Nilah from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Nilah Mean?
Nilah is a feminine given name that is usually understood as a spelling variant of one of two older names. The first is Nila, from Sanskrit nīla (नील), meaning "dark blue," "indigo," or "sapphire." The Sanskrit word names a deep blue color and appears in compounds such as nīlotpala, the blue lotus; as a given name it keeps that literal color sense.
The second is the Arabic Naila or Nailah (نائلة), the feminine form of nā'il, "one who attains or obtains." It is customarily translated "attainer" or "successful." The English spellings Nyla and Nylah are often connected with this Arabic name, and Nilah can be read as another spelling of the same sound.
Because the two names look identical in English, the meaning behind any particular Nilah cannot be settled from the spelling alone.
Nilah Name History & Origins
Sanskrit nīla is an old word for dark blue and for the sapphire, and it lies behind several personal names in India. In the Sanskrit epics, Nila is the name of a vanara, or monkey, commander in the Ramayana, where he and Nala are traditionally credited with building the bridge to Lanka - a masculine use of the same word. As a feminine name, Nila is used in modern Indian languages, including Hindi.
The name is not related to the river Nile. The river's name reaches English through Greek Neilos and Latin Nilus, and the further origin of that river name is itself uncertain.
The Arabic Naila is an early name in the Islamic world; Na'ila bint al-Farafisa is remembered as a wife of the caliph Uthman ibn Affan. In English use it appears in several spellings, among them Naila, Nyla, Nylah, and Nilah.
Nilah is one of several English spellings of the name, and the final -ah follows the common English habit of writing an unstressed final -a with an h, as in Sara and Sarah or Lila and Lilah. The spelling does not by itself show which of the two source names a family had in mind.
In 2022 the name was used for a champion, Nilah, the Joy Unbound, in the video game League of Legends. That is a modern media use of the name and says nothing about where the name came from.
How Popular is the Name Nilah?
Nilah 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 2012. Its best rank was #2,258 in 2012.
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 | #3,757 | 40 | 0.0025% |
| 2024 | #4,616 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 2023 | #3,361 | 48 | 0.0030% |
| 2022 | #4,547 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 2021 | #3,426 | 46 | 0.0028% |
| 2020 | #2,702 | 62 | 0.0038% |
| 2019 | #2,745 | 62 | 0.0037% |
| 2018 | #2,833 | 60 | 0.0035% |
| 2017 | #2,768 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 2016 | #2,557 | 70 | 0.0040% |
| 2015 | #2,545 | 71 | 0.0040% |
| 2014 | #2,343 | 79 | 0.0044% |
| 2013 | #2,428 | 75 | 0.0043% |
| 2012 | #2,258 | 84 | 0.0048% |
| 2011 | #2,318 | 81 | 0.0046% |
| 2010 | #2,716 | 66 | 0.0037% |
| 2009 | #2,989 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 2008 | #3,204 | 53 | 0.0028% |
| 2007 | #3,901 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2006 | #4,548 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2005 | #4,176 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2004 | #6,688 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #5,982 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #5,842 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2001 | #8,067 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #7,464 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #12,300 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #10,851 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #15,428 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #15,169 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #3,969 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1939 | #4,758 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #4,813 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #3,709 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1936 | #4,029 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1935 | #4,715 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1934 | #4,786 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1933 | #2,645 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1929 | #3,948 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1928 | #4,573 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1927 | #4,168 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1926 | #5,412 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1925 | #5,563 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1924 | #4,329 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1922 | #4,866 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1921 | #4,334 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1920 | #5,557 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1919 | #4,652 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #4,171 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1916 | #4,274 | 6 | 0.0006% |
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 Nilah Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a vivid imagination who can bring inspired messages to the world. You like to enjoy the pleasures of life, and when self is overcome, you can rise to the heights. You have an ability to avoid trouble - that is why you often fails to learn from experiences. You are restless, sociable people-oriented, a lover of change, and a seeker of adventure and new thrills. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Nilah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Nilah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.