Leila

Leila is a female first name that is interpreted with meanings such as "the beauty of the night," "the dark beauty," or often as "the queen of the night." The name has its roots in Arabic and is also frequently found in the spelling variants Laila or Leyla.

What does the name Leila mean?

The first name Leila, for girls, has meanings such as "the beauty of the night," "the dark beauty," and is often interpreted as "the queen of the night." It is of Arabic origin and is often found in the forms Laila or Leyla. It likely dates back to the pre-Islamic period known as Dschāhilīya. Its derivation may come from the Arabic word lailā, which means "the night." In Finland, the name Leila exists in the Sami language, where it means "the wisdom" or "the wise" and is a variation of the Nordic name Helga. Some sources also trace the name back to the Turkish word leylak, which could mean "lilac" or "purple." The name gained particular fame through the tragic tale "Leila and Majnun," written in 1192 by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi (1141-1209), based on a historical event. In this story, Leila is the beloved of Majnun, who ultimately breaks down because of this love. The Arabic original form is Laila, and there are numerous variants such as Layla (Arabic) and Leyla (Arabic & Turkish). Other forms include Leilah (English), Lajla, Laeila, Lejla (Slavic), and Layli (Persian).

Where does the name Leila come from?

The name Leila has its roots in Arabic. It is derived from "layla," which means "the night," or from the Turkish "leylak," which means "lilac." The Arabic

How do you pronounce Leila?

The pronunciation of Leila is melodic and consists of two syllables. In German, the name is often pronounced as "Lei-la" [ˈlaɪ̯la] or [ˈleːla]. The diphthong gives it a lively tone, while the second syllable ends softly and openly. The clear structure of the name gives it expressiveness and makes Leila appear feminine, elegant, as well as modern and warm.

When is the name day of Leila?

The name day for Leila is celebrated on January 1.

Popularity

Leila is one of the frequently chosen first names in Germany. It currently ranks 540th on the list of the most popular girls' names. The name achieved its best placement in 2004 at rank 175. In the last ten years, Leila has been chosen around 1,400 times as a first name, placing it 404th in the ten-year statistics. From 2010 to 2024, it ranks 392nd.

Nicknames & pet names

Lea / Lee / Leela / Leilei / Leili / Leilinia / Leilo / Leils / Leiluschka / Lela / Lele / Leli / Lelli / Lelu / Leyla / Lia / Lila / Lille / Lilo

Similar first names

Famous people

• Laila Ali (boxer and daughter of Mohammed Ali (former boxer)
• Leila Aboulela (Sudanese writer)
• Leila Abouzeid (writer from Morocco)
• Leila Ahmed (Egyptian writer)
• Leila Aman (Ethiopian marathon runner)
• Leila Amos Pendleton (writer)
• Leila Anderson (artist from South Africa)
• Leila Antionette Sterling Mackinlay (English writer)
• Leila Barros (Brazilian beach volleyball player)
• Leïla Bekhti (actress)
• Leila Bekhti (French actress)
• Leila Berg (writer from Great Britain)
• Leila Chudori (Indonesian writer)
• Leila Denmark (American doctor)
• Leila Diniz (Brazilian actress)
• Leila Djabali (Algerian writer)
• Leila Ebrahimi (Australian long-distance runner)
• Leila Esfandyari (Iranian mountaineer)
• Leila Farjami (writer from the USA)
• Leila Fletcher (Canadian musician)