NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Ayela

A feminine variant of the Hebrew name Ayal, meaning "deer" or "gazelle".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2014. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Ayela is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ayela popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2014 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5691, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 4 births.

This profile covers 13 England and Wales registrations across 4 recorded years from 2004 to 2014. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 13 living people in the UK are called Ayela. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2015 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Ayela ranked #5691 for girls in England and Wales in 2014, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2012, when 4 girls were registered as Ayela.
  • About 13 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ayela as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5691

2014

Births in 2014

3

Latest year

Peak year

2012

4 births

Estimated living

13

2026

Meaning

What does Ayela mean?

The given name Ayela is believed to have its origins in the Hebrew language. It is thought to be a variation of the name Ayala, which itself is derived from the Hebrew word "ayyal," meaning "deer" or "gazelle." The name Ayela likely emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ayela can be found in a historical document from the 14th century, which mentions an Ayela ben Shalom, a Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in Spain during that time period. It is possible that the name was more prevalent among the Sephardic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.

In the 16th century, there are records of an Ayela Meir, a Jewish poet and writer who lived in Italy. Her work was part of the renaissance of Hebrew literature that took place during that period.

Moving forward to the 18th century, there was an Ayela Abulafia, a prominent Jewish woman from the Abulafia family, which was a influential Sephardic Jewish family in Spain and later in Italy and the Ottoman Empire.

Another notable figure with the name Ayela was Ayela Rubinstein, a Russian-born Jewish actress and dancer who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was known for her performances in Yiddish theater and on the vaudeville circuit.

In more recent times, there was Ayela Nir, an Israeli artist and sculptor who was active in the late 20th century. She was known for her abstract metal sculptures and her contributions to the Israeli art scene.

While the name Ayela has Hebrew origins and has been used throughout history primarily within Jewish communities, it is possible that the name has also been adopted and used in other cultures and contexts over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Ayela over time

The chart below shows babies named Ayela registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2004 to 2014. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Ayela, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2014, compared with 4 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Ayela
01234200420092014

Decades

Ayela by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ayela was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2010s #5438 10 3
2000s #4598 3 1

Related

Names similar to Ayela

FAQ

Ayela: questions and answers

How popular is the name Ayela in the UK right now?

In 2014, Ayela was ranked #5691 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Ayela most popular?

The peak year on record was 2012, with 4 babies registered as Ayela in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Ayela?

A feminine variant of the Hebrew name Ayal, meaning "deer" or "gazelle".

How many people are called Ayela in the UK?

A total of 13 babies have been registered as Ayela across the 4 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.