Bayla
A feminine diminutive of the Hebrew name Batya, meaning "daughter of God".
Name Census estimates that about 993 living Americans carry the first name Bayla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bayla today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bayla births was 2014 (58 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bayla. 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
993
~ 1 in 345,171 Americans
Peak year
2014
58 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,642
Tracked since 1940
Popularity
Bayla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bayla from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 484 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bayla remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bayla 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 Bayla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Baylas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. New York, California, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Bayla, while Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bayla
The name Bayla is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin, derived from the biblical name Baylah. It is believed to have originated in ancient Israel around the 5th century BCE. The name Baylah is mentioned in the Book of Chronicles as one of the wives of Shaharaim, a descendant of the Tribe of Benjamin.
Bayla is a variant of the Hebrew name Baylah, which means "modest" or "bashful." The name's root, "bah-yah," is related to the Hebrew word "bosh," meaning "to be ashamed" or "to feel shy." This suggests that the name Bayla was originally bestowed upon individuals who exhibited qualities of humility and modesty.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bayla can be found in the historical records of the Jewish community in the Middle Ages. Bayla bat Shlomo, a renowned scholar and poet, lived in Spain during the 13th century and was celebrated for her contributions to Jewish literature and culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Bayla. In the 16th century, Bayla Nuno was a Jewish woman who lived in Portugal and is remembered for her courage and resilience in the face of persecution during the Portuguese Inquisition.
In the 19th century, Bayla Rivkah Chyene (1825-1899) was a respected Hasidic leader and spiritual teacher in Ukraine. She was known for her wisdom and her dedication to the study of Jewish mysticism.
Bayla Goldstein (1901-1984) was a pioneering woman in the field of education. Born in Belarus, she immigrated to the United States and became a prominent advocate for progressive education and the rights of children.
Bayla Kern (1925-2017) was a Polish-born Holocaust survivor who later became an author and public speaker, sharing her experiences and promoting tolerance and human rights.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Bayla throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage associated with this ancient Hebrew name.
People
Bayla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bayla as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bayla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bayla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 993 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bayla 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 345,171 US residents.
Is Bayla a common name?
We classify Bayla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,014 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bayla most popular?
The single biggest year for Bayla was 2014, when 58 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bayla is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bayla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bayla 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.
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.