Meaning and history
Layla is an Arabic name meaning “night” and is associated with the love interest of the poet Qays, known as Majnun, in an old Arab tale later retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in Layla and Majnun. The story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia, and the name became known in the English-speaking world after Derek and the Dominos released the song “Layla” in 1970, with its title inspired by the medieval story.
20062006: 3,362 births, rank #100
2007: 3,903 births, rank #85
2008: 4,931 births, rank #55
2009: 5,212 births, rank #45
2010: 5,901 births, rank #36
20112011: 6,088 births, rank #35
2012: 6,279 births, rank #31
2013: 6,490 births, rank #30
2014: 6,466 births, rank #29
2015: 6,348 births, rank #30
20162016: 6,300 births, rank #30
2017: 6,335 births, rank #26
2018: 6,512 births, rank #27
2019: 6,523 births, rank #23
2020: 6,228 births, rank #24
20212021: 6,356 births, rank #24
2022: 6,096 births, rank #29
2023: 5,703 births, rank #30
2024: 5,325 births, rank #37
20252025: 5,338 births, rank #36
Layla has made a dramatic comeback. After first appearing in the US records in 1972, it fell to #977 by 1978, before climbing to #36 in 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 2019, with 6,523 births.