Fun Facts About the Name Zaila
- 911 babies named Zaila: U.S. records list 911 babies given the name Zaila from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zaila Mean?
Zaila is a feminine name whose meaning is uncertain. The explanation most often offered connects it to Arabic: the feminine participle zā'ila, formed from the root z-y-l ("to cease, to pass away"), means "fleeting" or "transient," and this is sometimes proposed as the base of the name. Some references instead treat Zaila as a spelling variant of the name Zayla, and the two are commonly listed together. Similar-sounding names such as Zaira (used in Italian and Spanish and traced to Arabic zahra, "blossom, splendor") and the Hebrew Zila have their own separate derivations; a shared origin with Zaila is not documented and should not be assumed from the resemblance.
Zaila Name History & Origins
Zaila is an uncommon given name, and the record of its development is thin. The Arabic word behind the suggested meaning is an ordinary vocabulary item, but it is not clear that Zaila was formed as a personal name in Arabic-speaking regions rather than assembled later from Arabic-sounding elements. In English-language use, the closely related spelling Zayla appears alongside it, and the two are usually treated as the same name written in different ways. Zaila Avant-garde, the winner of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, is a prominent contemporary bearer of the name.
The Somali port town of Zeila (Saylac), an old trading center on the Gulf of Aden near Djibouti, resembles the name in sound. Any connection between the town and the personal name is unproven, and the resemblance alone does not show that one produced the other.
How Popular is the Name Zaila?
Zaila 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 #1,962 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 | #2,213 | 84 | 0.0052% |
| 2024 | #2,739 | 63 | 0.0039% |
| 2023 | #1,962 | 101 | 0.0063% |
| 2022 | #2,421 | 76 | 0.0046% |
| 2021 | #2,714 | 64 | 0.0039% |
| 2020 | #3,838 | 38 | 0.0024% |
| 2019 | #3,915 | 38 | 0.0023% |
| 2018 | #3,848 | 39 | 0.0023% |
| 2017 | #3,917 | 39 | 0.0023% |
| 2016 | #3,705 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2015 | #4,225 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2014 | #3,546 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2013 | #3,699 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2012 | #5,550 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2011 | #4,240 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2010 | #7,208 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #7,331 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #5,743 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2007 | #8,511 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2006 | #8,233 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2005 | #7,884 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #8,707 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #15,750 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #15,390 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #13,488 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #13,141 | 7 | 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 Zaila Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have aspiration and inspiration, hope and guidance. Since you are intuitive and perceptive and you understand human nature. You have the power to achieve. Diplomacy and discretion make you a good mediator. You are inspired, introspective, and have a good understanding of the human heart. You can have the ability to commercialize your artistic talents successfully. You are often a mystery to others and to yourself. You are always reaching for something higher, without exactly knowing what that "higher" is. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Zaila's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zaila's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.