Vayla
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Vail.
Name Census estimates that about 274 living Americans carry the first name Vayla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vayla today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vayla births was 2022 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vayla. 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
274
~ 1 in 1,250,928 Americans
Peak year
2022
27 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,576
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Vayla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vayla from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 145 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Vayla remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vayla 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 Vayla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vayla
The name Vayla is of Finnish origin, derived from the word "valo," meaning "light" or "brightness." This elegant name has been in use since the Middle Ages, particularly in the regions of modern-day Finland and Sweden.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vayla can be found in the Finnish epic poem, the Kalevala, which dates back to the 19th century. The poem mentions a character named Vayla, who was a radiant and beautiful maiden.
During the Viking era, around the 8th to 11th centuries, the name Vayla was relatively common among Scandinavian families, particularly those with ties to the Nordic pagan traditions. It was often given to girls born during the summer solstice, as a symbol of the sun's light and warmth.
In the 13th century, a notable historical figure named Vayla Eriksdotter was a prominent figure in the Swedish court. She was known for her intelligence and diplomatic skills, and played a crucial role in negotiating peace treaties between Sweden and neighboring kingdoms.
Another famous bearer of the name Vayla was Vayla Viljanen, a Finnish painter and artist who lived from 1870 to 1944. Her vibrant and luminous landscapes captured the essence of Finnish nature and earned her widespread recognition.
In the realm of literature, Vayla Koskinen was a celebrated Finnish author who wrote extensively about the lives of women in rural Finland during the early 20th century. Her novels, such as "The Birch Grove" (1924) and "The Pines of Lapland" (1928), were critically acclaimed for their vivid portrayals of Finnish culture and traditions.
While the name Vayla has its roots in Finnish and Scandinavian cultures, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with strong Nordic influences or connections.
People
Vayla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vayla as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vayla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vayla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 274 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vayla 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 1,250,928 US residents.
Is Vayla a common name?
We classify Vayla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 276 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vayla most popular?
The single biggest year for Vayla was 2022, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vayla is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Vayla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vayla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vayla 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 Vayla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vayla 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 Vayla 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Vayla?
Find out how many Americans are named Vayla on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.