Girl · Arabic · International · Muslim
Layla
لیلیٰSay it LAY-luh
- Meaning today
- Night, dark beauty
- Original meaning
- "night; from Arabic layl, the opposite of day" Lane, root ل ي ل; entry n43460 (laylā)
- Say it
- LAY-luh
- Written
- لیلیٰ
- Other spellings
- Leila, Laila, Leyla
Layla
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Layla meaning
Layla (لیلیٰ) is an international and Muslim girl's name of Arabic origin.
Night; from Arabic layl, the opposite of day
Also used to mean: dark beauty
Layla (لیلیٰ) comes from the Arabic root of layl and laylah, "night". Lane's Lexicon defines night against nahār, the day from sunrise to sunset, and also records laylā as a poetic word for the first glow of intoxication, with umm laylā meaning wine. Name lists usually give the meaning "night", sometimes "dark beauty". The name is famous from the Arabic and Persian love story of Layla and Majnun, known across India as Laila-Majnu, and from Eric Clapton's song "Layla". Muslim families use it, and it is also spelled Laila or Leila. It is said LAY-luh in English and LAI-la in Urdu and Hindi.
Source: Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon (1863-93), root ل ي ل; entry n43460 (laylā) · entry لَيْلٌ / لَيْلَى · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Lane, لَيْلٌ and related words (laneslexicon.com) · Lane, لَيْلَى, n43460 · Lane, نَهَارٌ, n40636
Famous namesakes
- Layla, beloved of Majnun in the Arabic and Persian romance Layla and Majnun
Popularity abroad
- #36 United States, girls 2025 (up 1 from 37 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #50 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Layla · Leila · Laila · Leyla