Kayla
Kayla is a girls' name of Hawaiian origin meaning “the sea and sky, the ancestor.” It ranked #364 in the United States in 2025. While Kayla is widely used as an English name, in Hawaiian it connects to 'kai' (sea) and 'la' (sun/day), evoking the…
how do you pronounce Kayla?
KAY-lah
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Kayla mean?
The name Kayla means “the sea and sky, the ancestor.” It comes from the Hawaiian language tradition.
While Kayla is widely used as an English name, in Hawaiian it connects to 'kai' (sea) and 'la' (sun/day), evoking the meeting of ocean and sunlight. Hawaii's culture is inseparable from the sea, and names referencing the ocean carry deep spiritual significance about humanity's connection to the natural world.
where does the name Kayla come from?
Both sources agree Kayla is a modern English invention rather than a Hawaiian name: Wiktionary describes it as possibly based on Kay or Michaela, or formed on the pattern of Layla, while Wikipedia identifies it as combining the elements Kay and -la, with its use influenced by similar-sounding names like Kaylee. Neither source supports the Hawaiian kai (sea) + lā (sun/day) breakdown given elsewhere.
the history of Kayla
Wikipedia dates the name's rise to the 1980s, crediting increased use to the character Kayla Brady on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #364 |
| 2024 | #336 |
| 2023 | #324 |
| 2022 | #280 |
| 2021 | #254 |
| 2020 | #216 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Kayla?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Kayla?
- Kayla Itsines (Australian fitness personality)
- Kayla Harrison (American Olympic judo champion)
what names are similar to Kayla?
what names go well with Kayla?
Sibling names that share Kayla's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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