Jaila
A feminine Arabic name meaning "shadow", "shade" or "protection".
Name Census estimates that about 2,561 living Americans carry the first name Jaila. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jaila today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jaila births was 2006 (189 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jaila. 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 Jaila with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.6K
~ 1 in 133,836 Americans
Peak year
2006
189 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,667
Tracked since 1988
Census
Jaila in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,944 people with the first name Jaila, which placed it at #7,723 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
#7,723
National first-name rank
People counted
1.9K
1,944 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
73.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jaila
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jaila is Black at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Jaila 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 Jaila at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.2% · 1,423
- Hispanic or Latino11.8% · 229
- Two or more races7.4% · 143
- White6.2% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Popularity
Jaila: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jaila from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,443 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jaila 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 Jaila during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jailas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Michigan recorded the most babies named Jaila, while Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 73 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jaila
The name Jaila is a unique and intriguing moniker with a rich history that spans across various cultures and eras. Its origins can be traced back to the Arabic language, where it is believed to have derived from the root word "jail," meaning "stream" or "river." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have initially been associated with the life-giving and nourishing properties of water sources in arid regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jaila can be found in ancient Persian literature, particularly in the epic poem "Shahnameh" written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. In this literary masterpiece, Jaila is depicted as a character possessing remarkable beauty and grace, further lending an air of mystique and allure to the name.
Throughout history, the name Jaila has been borne by several notable figures, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields. One such individual was Jaila al-Kubra (1145-1228), a revered Sufi mystic and scholar from Persia. Her teachings and writings on spirituality and self-discovery have profoundly influenced Islamic philosophy and continue to resonate with seekers of enlightenment to this day.
Another prominent figure bearing the name Jaila was Jaila bint al-Azwar (d. 690), a renowned Arabian poet and warrior from the early Islamic era. Her poetic compositions, imbued with themes of bravery and resilience, have been preserved and celebrated as a testament to the strength and resilience of Arabian women during that period.
In the realm of art and culture, Jaila al-Andalusiya (1031-1107) was a celebrated poet and musician from Andalusia, Spain. Her lyrical compositions, known for their exquisite blend of Arabic and Spanish influences, have left an enduring legacy in the rich tapestry of Andalusian literature and music.
The name Jaila has also found its way into the annals of European history, with the notable figure of Jaila of Normandy (c. 1080-1126), a powerful noblewoman and landowner in 12th-century England. Her influence and landholdings were significant, and she played a pivotal role in the political and social dynamics of the time.
These are just a few examples of the remarkable individuals who have borne the name Jaila throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields and adding depth and richness to the legacy of this captivating moniker.
People
Jaila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jaila as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jaila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jaila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,561 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jaila 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 133,836 US residents.
Is Jaila a common name?
We classify Jaila as "Rare". It ranks above 94.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,597 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jaila most popular?
The single biggest year for Jaila was 2006, when 189 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jaila is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jaila in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,944 people with the name Jaila, or 0.64 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,723 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 Jaila 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 Jaila?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jaila appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,944 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Jaila?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jaila is Black at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Jaila most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jaila in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.2% (1,423 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 Jaila in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jaila a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jaila 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 Jaila still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jaila 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 Jaila 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 share the name Jaila?
Want to know how many Americans are named Jaila? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.