Layth
An Arabic masculine name meaning "lion" or "brave warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 833 living Americans carry the first name Layth. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Layth today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Layth births was 2024 (61 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Layth. 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
833
~ 1 in 411,470 Americans
Peak year
2024
61 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,320
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Layth: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Layth 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 350 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Layth remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Layth 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 Layth during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Layths live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Layth, while Michigan, Ohio, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Layth
The name Layth is an Arabic name derived from the Arabic word "layth" meaning "lion." It is a name that has been in use for centuries, with its origins traceable back to the Middle East and Islamic culture.
The name first appeared in ancient Arabic texts and literature, where it was often used as a metaphor for strength, courage, and bravery – qualities associated with the lion. In some Islamic traditions, the name Layth is also believed to be one of the names of the Prophet Muhammad.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Layth can be found in the writings of the renowned 9th-century Islamic scholar and philosopher, Al-Kindi (801-873 CE). Al-Kindi, whose full name was Abu Yusuf Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Sabbah al-Kindi, is considered the father of Arab philosophy and is often referred to as the first true philosopher in the Islamic world.
Another notable historical figure with the name Layth was Layth ibn Sa'd (713-791 CE), an influential Islamic scholar and jurist from Kufa, Iraq. He was one of the most prominent students of Abu Hanifa, the founder of the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence, and played a significant role in the development of Islamic legal thought.
In the literary realm, the name Layth was immortalized by the 10th-century Arabic poet and philosopher, Abu al-'Ala' al-Ma'arri (973-1057 CE). Al-Ma'arri, whose full name was Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Sulayman al-Tanukhi al-Ma'arri al-Layth, was a renowned figure in the golden age of Arabic literature and is celebrated for his philosophical and literary works.
Another notable bearer of the name was Layth al-Saffar (837-900 CE), a Persian military leader and the founder of the Saffarid dynasty, which ruled parts of modern-day Iran and Afghanistan from 861 to 1003 CE. His name, "al-Saffar," means "the coppersmith," reflecting his humble beginnings as a coppersmith before rising to power.
In more recent times, the name Layth has continued to be used among Arabic-speaking communities, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name outside of these regions.
People
Layth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Layth 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
Layth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Layth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 833 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Layth 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 411,470 US residents.
Is Layth a common name?
We classify Layth as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 842 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Layth most popular?
The single biggest year for Layth was 2024, when 61 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Layth is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Layth a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Layth in the SSA data are male. 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.