Lela

Lela: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “night”
Origin: Arabic
Say it: LEE-luh · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

Often treated as a variant of Leila/Layla, from Arabic layla meaning “night.” It has also been used in English-speaking countries as an independent given name.

English names American names Names meaning moon Classic names International names

How popular is Lela?

202426.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Lela in 202486

2024 rank#2,188 girls

Peak year1901

Total US babies since 188042,994

Lela is steady now but far below its 1901 peak.

Names like Lela

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Leilanight · Arabic
Laylahnight · Arabic
Laylanight · Arabic
Lylanight · Arabic
Aaliyahexalted, rising · Arabic
Amiraprincess; commander · Arabic
Lilahnight · Arabic
Lilanight · Arabic

Lela questions

What does the name Lela mean?

Lela means "night". It comes from Arabic. Often treated as a variant of Leila/Layla, from Arabic layla meaning “night.” It has also been used in English-speaking countries as an independent given name.

Is Lela a boy or girl name?

Lela is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Lela?

86 US babies were named Lela in 2024. Its peak year was 1901.

How do you pronounce Lela?

Lela is usually pronounced LEE-luh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.