Layla
Layla is a girls' name of Arabic origin meaning “night, dark beauty.” It ranked #22 in the United States in 2025. Layla means 'night' in Arabic and is the heroine of the Persian love story 'Layla and Majnun,' one of literature's…
how do you pronounce Layla?
LAY-lah
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Layla mean?
The name Layla means “night, dark beauty.” It comes from the Arabic language tradition.
Layla means 'night' in Arabic and is the heroine of the Persian love story 'Layla and Majnun,' one of literature's great romances. Eric Clapton's song 'Layla' introduced it to Western audiences, and it has been a top-25 staple.
where does the name Layla come from?
From the Arabic ليلى (Laylā), meaning night. The root l-y-l gives the ordinary Arabic word for night, and the name carries an implication of dark beauty by association rather than by definition.
the history of Layla
The seventh-century story of Layla and Majnun — a poet driven mad by a love he cannot have — became one of the great narratives of Persian and Arabic literature, retold by Nizami in the twelfth century and often called the eastern Romeo and Juliet. Eric Clapton's 1970 song, written about Pattie Boyd, drew directly on that story and carried the name into Western use.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #22 |
| 2023 | #23 |
| 2022 | #24 |
| 2021 | #24 |
| 2020 | #24 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Layla?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Layla?
- Layla (Layla and Majnun love story)
- Eric Clapton (Layla song)
- Layla El (professional wrestler)
what names are similar to Layla?
what names go well with Layla?
Sibling names that share Layla's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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