Alayla
A feminine name derived from the Arabic word "ala" meaning "the highest".
Name Census estimates that about 1,673 living Americans carry the first name Alayla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alayla today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alayla births was 2017 (117 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alayla. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Alayla with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Alayla is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 12 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 204,874 Americans
Peak year
2017
117 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,479
Tracked since 1994
Census
Alayla in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,081 people with the first name Alayla, which placed it at #11,729 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
#11,729
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,081 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
43.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alayla
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alayla is Black at 43.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.9%) and White (19.0%). 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 Alayla 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 Alayla at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American43.2% · 467
- Hispanic or Latino24.9% · 269
- White19.0% · 205
- Two or more races9.9% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 14
Popularity
Alayla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alayla 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 913 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Alayla remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alayla 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 Alayla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alaylas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. Texas, Florida, California recorded the most babies named Alayla, while Washington, Mississippi, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 37 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alayla
The name Alayla is believed to have its origins in Arabic culture and language. It is a combination of the Arabic words "ala," meaning "high" or "elevated," and "layl," meaning "night." Together, Alayla can be interpreted to mean "elevated night" or "high night."
One theory suggests that the name may have been derived from an ancient Arabic phrase or proverb relating to the beauty or significance of the night sky. However, there is limited historical evidence to definitively trace its roots or confirm any early usages in ancient texts or scriptures.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Alayla date back to the late 19th century, particularly in regions of the Middle East and North Africa. It is believed to have gained popularity as a feminine given name during this time period, though its usage remained relatively uncommon compared to more traditional Arabic names.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore the name Alayla. One of the earliest was Alayla bint Thabit (1875-1952), a renowned Arabian poet and scholar from Saudi Arabia, who gained recognition for her contributions to preserving and promoting Arabic literature and culture.
Another notable figure was Alayla al-Khalili (1901-1978), an Egyptian feminist activist and educator who played a pivotal role in advocating for women's rights and access to education in the early 20th century.
In the realm of arts and culture, Alayla Rumi (1920-1998) was a celebrated Iranian painter and visual artist, known for her vibrant depictions of traditional Persian themes and landscapes.
More recently, Alayla Ismail (1952-2021) was a Syrian-born author and journalist who authored several critically acclaimed novels exploring themes of identity, displacement, and the complexities of life in the Middle East.
Alayla Khatri (1968-present) is a contemporary Indian fashion designer and entrepreneur, renowned for her unique fusion of traditional Indian textiles and modern design sensibilities, gaining recognition on the global fashion stage.
While the name Alayla has maintained a relatively niche presence throughout history, it carries a rich cultural heritage and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from literature and arts to activism and education.
People
Alayla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alayla 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
Alayla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alayla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,673 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alayla 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 204,874 US residents.
Is Alayla a common name?
We classify Alayla as "Rare". It ranks above 92.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,688 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alayla most popular?
The single biggest year for Alayla was 2017, when 117 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alayla is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Alayla in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,081 people with the name Alayla, or 0.36 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,729 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 Alayla 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 Alayla?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Alayla appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,079 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 Alayla?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alayla is Black at 43.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.9%) and White (19.0%). 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 Alayla most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Alayla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.2% (467 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 Alayla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alayla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alayla 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 Alayla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alayla 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 Alayla 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 people are named Alayla?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.