Leila
Leila is a girls' name of Persian origin meaning “night, dark beauty.” It ranked #259 in the United States in 2025. From the Persian-Arabic word for night, Leila is the beloved in 'Layla and Majnun,' Nizami's 12th-century Persian…
how do you pronounce Leila?
LAY-lah
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Leila mean?
The name Leila means “night, dark beauty.” It comes from the Persian language tradition.
From the Persian-Arabic word for night, Leila is the beloved in 'Layla and Majnun,' Nizami's 12th-century Persian romance that became one of the most influential love stories in world literature. The name embodies dark, mysterious beauty and the intoxication of love.
where does the name Leila come from?
Wikipedia identifies Leila (also spelled Layla) as a feminine given name of Arabic origin, popular across the Middle East, Iran, Turkey, Palestine, the Nordic countries, India, and the Anglosphere; the Wiktionary entry retrieved is missing its origin-word detail, so neither source here confirms the specific 'night' meaning or the Layla-and-Majnun literary reference commonly cited elsewhere.
the history of Leila
Wiktionary notes the name was taken into English usage through nineteenth-century literature, and Wikipedia lists its many Latin-alphabet spellings, Leila, Layla, Laylah, Laila, Leyla, and Leylah, reflecting its spread across languages.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #259 |
| 2024 | #267 |
| 2023 | #240 |
| 2022 | #246 |
| 2021 | #214 |
| 2020 | #205 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Leila?
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Leila?
- Leila (heroine of Nizami's Layla and Majnun)
- Leila Hatami (Iranian actress, star of A Separation)
what names are similar to Leila?
what names go well with Leila?
Sibling names that share Leila's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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