Xila
A feminine name of Chuvash origin meaning "star" or "radiant one".
Name Census estimates that about 20 living Americans carry the first name Xila. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Xila today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xila births was 2023 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xila. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Xila. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
20
~ 1 in 17,137,717 Americans
Peak year
2023
8 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,122
Tracked since 2020
Popularity
Xila: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Xila 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 Xila during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 0 | 20 | 20 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Xila
The name Xila is believed to have originated from the ancient Sumerian language, which was spoken in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500 BCE. It is derived from the Sumerian word "xil," meaning "light" or "radiance." The name has also been associated with the Akkadian word "ṣilu," meaning "shade" or "shadow."
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Xila can be found in the Sumerian King List, an ancient manuscript dating back to around 2100 BCE. The list mentions a ruler named Xila who reigned in the city of Kish, which was one of the earliest known cities in Mesopotamia.
In ancient Mesopotamian mythology, Xila was also the name of a minor goddess associated with light and healing. She was often depicted in cuneiform inscriptions and relief carvings alongside other deities from the Sumerian pantheon.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Xila. One of the earliest recorded was Xila of Sparta (c. 520 BCE), a renowned poet and lyricist from ancient Greece. Her works, although now lost, were highly praised by contemporaries such as Plato and Aristotle.
Another historical figure with the name Xila was Xila al-Razi (865-925 CE), a Persian polymath and scholar from the Islamic Golden Age. She made significant contributions to various fields, including medicine, philosophy, and astronomy.
In the 12th century, Xila de Montferrat (c. 1145-1208) was a renowned Occitan trobairitz (female troubadour) from southern France. Her poems and songs, which often explored themes of courtly love and chivalry, were widely celebrated throughout medieval Europe.
During the Renaissance period, Xila Sirani (1638-1665) was an Italian Baroque painter and one of the most accomplished female artists of her time. She is particularly known for her biblical and mythological scenes, as well as her portraits.
In more recent history, Xila Mukherjee (1904-1974) was an Indian writer and activist who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. She was also a prominent figure in the struggle for women's rights and social reform in India.
People
Xila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xila as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with X
Other first names starting with X with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Xila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xila 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 17,137,717 US residents.
Is Xila a common name?
We classify Xila as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xila most popular?
The single biggest year for Xila was 2023, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xila is about 5 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 Xila in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Xila a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Xila 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 Xila still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Xila 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 Xila 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 have Xila as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.