Laylah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "night" or "born at night".
Name Census estimates that about 7,054 living Americans carry the first name Laylah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Laylah today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Laylah births was 2014 (496 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Laylah. 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.
Key insights
- • Laylah 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
7.1K
~ 1 in 48,590 Americans
Peak year
2014
496 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,056
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Laylah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Laylah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 4,103 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Laylah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Laylah 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 Laylah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Laylahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 38 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Laylah, while Utah, Maine, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 157 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Laylah
The name Laylah is of Arabic origin, derived from the Semitic root word "layl" meaning "night." Its origins can be traced back to ancient Arabia, where it was used as a feminine name.
The name Laylah holds significant importance in Arab culture and literature. It is prominently featured in the classic work "Layla and Majnun," a tragic love story that has become a beloved part of Arabic literature. The central character, Layla, is renowned for her beauty and is the object of Majnun's undying love.
In Islamic tradition, Laylat al-Qadr, or the "Night of Power," is considered the holiest night of the year during the month of Ramadan. This night commemorates the revelation of the first verses of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. The name Laylah is often associated with this sacred event, symbolizing the night's spiritual significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Laylah is found in the genealogical records of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca, dating back to the 6th century CE. Layla bint Qays al-Ghifaria was a renowned Arabian poet and warrior who lived during this time.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Laylah. Layla al-Akhyaliyya (born around 640 CE) was a celebrated Arab poet known for her eloquence and mastery of the Arabic language. Layla al-Amiriya (born in the 11th century CE) was a renowned Andalusian poet and scholar from Seville.
In more recent times, Leila Khaled (born in 1944) is a prominent Palestinian activist and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Leila Aboulela (born in 1964) is a Sudanese writer and novelist known for her works exploring themes of cultural identity and displacement.
The name Laylah has also been used in various literary works, further solidifying its cultural significance. In William Shakespeare's play "Othello," the character Desdemona sings a poignant song called "Willow Song" or "The Poor Soul Sat Sighing," which includes the line "Lay by these," a possible allusion to the name Laylah.
People
Laylah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Laylah 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
Laylah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Laylah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7,054 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Laylah 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 48,590 US residents.
Is Laylah a common name?
We classify Laylah as "Rare". It ranks above 97.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,116 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Laylah most popular?
The single biggest year for Laylah was 2014, when 496 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Laylah is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Laylah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Laylah 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.