Layal
A feminine Arabic name meaning "night beauty".
Name Census estimates that about 759 living Americans carry the first name Layal. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Layal today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Layal births was 2024 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Layal. 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
759
~ 1 in 451,587 Americans
Peak year
2024
56 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,943
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Layal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Layal from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 313 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Layal remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Layal 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 Layal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Layals live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Michigan, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Layal, while Illinois, Florida, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Layal
The name Layal originates from the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "layl," which means "night." The name Layal is believed to have been in use since ancient times in the Middle East and North Africa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Layal can be found in ancient Arabic poetry and literature. The name was often used to describe the beauty and mystery of the night, likening it to a beautiful woman. In some Arab folklore, Layal was also the name of a legendary princess known for her grace and intelligence.
In the 9th century, there was a famous Arab poet named Layla al-Akhyaliyya, who was renowned for her skill in composing love poems. She was born in Baghdad and lived during the Abbasid Caliphate, a golden age of Arabic literature and culture.
Another notable historical figure with the name Layal was Layal al-Ghazali, a 12th-century Arab scholar and mystic. She was born in Damascus and was known for her contributions to Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam.
In the 20th century, Layal Abdel-Rahman was a prominent Egyptian actress and singer. She was born in 1923 and starred in numerous Egyptian films during the golden age of Egyptian cinema.
Another famous Layal was Layal Murad, a Lebanese singer and actress who rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s. She was born in 1945 and was known for her beautiful voice and captivating stage presence.
Layal Chammaa was a Lebanese artist and ceramist who lived from 1925 to 2005. She was renowned for her innovative use of ceramics and her unique artistic style, which blended traditional Arabic motifs with modern techniques.
People
Layal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Layal as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Layal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Layal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 759 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Layal 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 451,587 US residents.
Is Layal a common name?
We classify Layal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 768 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Layal most popular?
The single biggest year for Layal was 2024, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Layal is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Layal a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Layal 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.