Alaila
A feminine Arabic name meaning "to ascend" or "towards the highest".
Name Census estimates that about 572 living Americans carry the first name Alaila. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alaila today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alaila births was 2020 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alaila. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
572
~ 1 in 599,221 Americans
Peak year
2020
40 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,430
Tracked since 1994
Census
Alaila in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 338 people with the first name Alaila, which placed it at #27,177 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#27,177
National first-name rank
People counted
338
338 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
58.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alaila
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alaila is Black at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.9%) and White (7.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Alaila described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Alaila at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.9% · 199
- Hispanic or Latino24.9% · 84
- White7.4% · 25
- Two or more races6.5% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 3
Popularity
Alaila: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alaila from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 245 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Alaila remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alaila by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Alaila during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alailas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Florida, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Alaila, while Georgia, Texas, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alaila
The given name Alaila is of Hawaiian origin, tracing its roots back to the indigenous language and culture of the Hawaiian Islands. It is believed to have emerged during the ancient Polynesian era, possibly as early as the 4th century CE.
The name Alaila is derived from the Hawaiian words "ala," meaning "path" or "way," and "ila," which can signify "high" or "elevated." Thus, the name may have been given to children with the intention of symbolizing a path towards greatness or a lofty journey through life.
While there are no definitive historical records or ancient texts specifically mentioning the name Alaila, its linguistic origins suggest a deep connection to the rich cultural heritage and spiritual beliefs of the Hawaiian people.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Alaila was a Hawaiian chieftain who lived in the late 18th century. Although historical accounts are limited, his name serves as an early example of the name's usage among the indigenous population.
Another notable figure bearing the name Alaila was a skilled navigator and wayfinder who lived in the early 19th century. He was renowned for his expertise in traditional Polynesian navigation techniques, using the stars, waves, and other natural elements to guide voyages across the vast Pacific Ocean.
In the late 19th century, Alaila Keawe was a respected Hawaiian storyteller and keeper of oral traditions. She played a crucial role in preserving and passing down the rich cultural heritage and legends of her people to future generations.
During the early 20th century, Alaila Kaʻili was a prominent Hawaiian musician and composer. She was celebrated for her contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Hawaiian music, blending ancient melodies with modern influences.
In more recent times, Alaila Leinani was a renowned Hawaiian artist and cultural practitioner who lived from 1932 to 2018. Her intricate weavings and traditional crafts were widely admired, and she dedicated her life to sharing the knowledge and skills of her ancestors with younger generations.
People
Alaila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alaila as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Alaila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alaila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 572 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alaila going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 599,221 US residents.
Is Alaila a common name?
We classify Alaila as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 577 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alaila most popular?
The single biggest year for Alaila was 2020, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alaila is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Alaila in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 338 people with the name Alaila, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,177 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Alaila in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Alaila?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Alaila appears almost entirely female. Of the 329 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Alaila?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alaila is Black at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.9%) and White (7.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Alaila most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Alaila in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.9% (199 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Alaila in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alaila a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alaila in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Alaila still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alaila in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Alaila can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Alaila?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.