Niyla
A delicate feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "victorious" or "triumphant".
Name Census estimates that about 558 living Americans carry the first name Niyla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Niyla today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Niyla births was 2012 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Niyla. 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 Niyla with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
558
~ 1 in 614,255 Americans
Peak year
2012
44 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,831
Tracked since 1997
Census
Niyla in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 340 people with the first name Niyla, which placed it at #27,081 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
#27,081
National first-name rank
People counted
340
340 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
80.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Niyla
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Niyla is Black at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Niyla 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 Niyla at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.0% · 272
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 28
- Two or more races6.8% · 23
- White4.1% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Niyla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Niyla from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 319 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Niyla remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Niyla 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 Niyla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Niylas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Georgia, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Niyla, while Virginia, Texas, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Niyla
The name Niyla has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. The name is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "naylah," which means "attainment" or "achievement." It is a relatively modern name, with no known historical references or appearances in ancient texts or religious scriptures.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Niyla can be found in the late 20th century. While the name has gained popularity in recent years, there are a few notable individuals who have carried the name throughout history.
Niyla Velati (1912-1997) was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was renowned for her contributions to the Kathak dance form and her efforts in preserving and promoting Indian classical dance. Velati's performances and teachings had a significant impact on the dance community, inspiring generations of dancers.
Niyla Khalil (born 1964) is a Lebanese-American journalist and author. She has worked for various news organizations, including CNN and Al Jazeera English, covering Middle Eastern affairs. Khalil has authored several books, including "The Daughter of Isis," which explores the experiences of Arab women in the Middle East.
Niyla Masrali (born 1982) is a British-Lebanese fashion designer. She is known for her eponymous luxury fashion brand, which combines Middle Eastern influences with contemporary design. Masrali's collections have been showcased at major fashion events and have gained recognition for their unique aesthetic.
Niyla Tara Bautista (born 1994) is a Filipino actress and model. She has appeared in numerous television shows and films in the Philippines, garnering popularity for her acting talent and on-screen presence.
Niyla Mendonca (born 1986) is an Indian film producer and entrepreneur. She has produced several successful Bollywood movies and is recognized for her contributions to the Indian film industry.
While the name Niyla has gained popularity in recent years, it has a rich cultural heritage rooted in the Arabic language. The individuals mentioned above represent just a few of the notable figures who have carried this name throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and industries.
People
Niyla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Niyla as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Niyla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Niyla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 558 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Niyla 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 614,255 US residents.
Is Niyla a common name?
We classify Niyla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 563 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Niyla most popular?
The single biggest year for Niyla was 2012, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Niyla is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Niyla in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 340 people with the name Niyla, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,081 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 Niyla 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 Niyla?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Niyla appears almost entirely female. Of the 336 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Niyla?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Niyla is Black at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Niyla most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Niyla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (272 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 Niyla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Niyla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Niyla 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 Niyla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Niyla 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 Niyla 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 have Niyla as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Niyla on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.