UK girl's name
Ilayda
A feminine Turkish name meaning "morning star" or "Venus".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Ilayda is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ilayda popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2574, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 26 births.
This profile covers 314 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 38% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 318 living people in the UK are called Ilayda. 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 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ilayda ranked #2574 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 10 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2005, when 26 girls were registered as Ilayda.
- • Ilayda ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #802 in 2010.
- • About 318 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ilayda as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2574
2024
Births in 2024
10
Latest year
Peak year
2005
26 births
Estimated living
318
2026
Meaning
What does Ilayda mean?
The given name Ilayda is of Turkish origin and believed to have emerged in the 20th century. It is a modern coinage, combining the Turkish elements "il" meaning "province" or "region" and "ayda" meaning "moon" or "moonlight." The name is thought to convey a sense of radiance or illumination associated with a particular place or homeland.
While the name itself is relatively new, its component parts have deep linguistic roots in the Turkish language and cultural traditions. The element "il" can be traced back to Old Turkic words denoting territorial or geographic concepts, while "ayda" shares etymological connections with celestial bodies and celestial imagery prominent in Turkish literature and folklore.
Historical records and ancient texts do not contain direct references to the name Ilayda, given its recent coinage. However, the earliest documented examples of the name's use can be found in Turkish birth records and official registries from the mid-20th century onwards.
Over the years, several notable individuals have borne the name Ilayda, though none of particularly ancient or historical significance. Some examples include:
1. Ilayda Ildiz (born 1992), a Turkish volleyball player who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
2. Ilayda Avşar (born 1994), a Turkish actress known for her roles in various television series and films.
3. Ilayda Büyükçelebi (born 1998), a Turkish swimmer who has represented Turkey in international competitions.
4. Ilayda Çıtak (born 1995), a Turkish footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe S.K.
5. Ilayda Eskitaşçıoğlu (born 1997), a Turkish actress and model who has appeared in several television commercials and music videos.
While these individuals have achieved varying degrees of recognition within their respective fields, the name Ilayda remains a relatively modern and regionally specific name, primarily concentrated in Turkey and among Turkish-speaking communities.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ilayda over time
The chart below shows babies named Ilayda registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ilayda, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2024, compared with 26 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ilayda by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ilayda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3052 | 39 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2750 | 98 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1667 | 150 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2383 | 27 | 4 |
Geography
Where Ilayda is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ilayda. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Ilayda ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #802 in 2010.
Across the UK
Ilayda in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#802 in 2010
2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Related
Names similar to Ilayda
- Isabella 58,822
- Isla 51,854
- Isabelle 46,163
- Imogen 33,758
- Ivy 23,306
- Isabel 20,895
- Isobel 19,706
- Iris 10,353
- India 8,371
- Iqra 4,452
- Indie 3,873
- Iona 3,682
FAQ
Ilayda: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ilayda in the UK right now?
In 2024, Ilayda was ranked #2574 for girls in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.
When was Ilayda most popular?
The peak year on record was 2005, with 26 babies registered as Ilayda in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ilayda?
A feminine Turkish name meaning "morning star" or "Venus".
How many people are called Ilayda in the UK?
A total of 314 babies have been registered as Ilayda across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Ilayda most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Ilayda ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #802 in 2010. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.