UK girl's name
Lailah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "born at night".
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.
Lailah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Lailah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1541, with 20 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 34 births.
This profile covers 427 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 59% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 461 living people in the UK are called Lailah. 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
- • Lailah ranked #1541 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 20 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 34 girls were registered as Lailah.
- • Lailah ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #296 in 2017.
- • About 461 living people in the UK are estimated to have Lailah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1541
2024
Births in 2024
20
Latest year
Peak year
2015
34 births
Estimated living
461
2026
Meaning
What does Lailah mean?
The name Lailah is derived from the Arabic language and has its origins in the Middle East. It is a feminine name that means "night" or "born at night." The name is believed to have been in use since ancient times, with its roots tracing back to the pre-Islamic era.
In Islamic tradition, Lailah is one of the names attributed to Allah, the supreme God. It is mentioned in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, and is often associated with the night prayers and spiritual contemplation. The name is also believed to have connections to the Arabic word "layla," which means night.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Lailah can be found in the ancient Arabian love story, "Layla and Majnun," written by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in the 12th century. The story tells the tragic tale of Qays ibn al-Mulawwah, known as Majnun (the madman), and his unconditional love for the beautiful Layla.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Lailah. One of the most famous was Lailah al-Akhyaliyah, a 7th-century Arab poet and contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad. She was known for her eloquence and mastery of the Arabic language.
Another influential figure was Lailah al-Muradiya (1240-1309), a Sufi mystic and poet from present-day Syria. She was renowned for her spiritual teachings and her contributions to the development of Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam.
In the realm of literature, Lailah Bakhtiar (1938-2007) was a notable American translator and author. She is best known for her English translation of the Qur'an, which aimed to capture the poetic and spiritual essence of the original Arabic text.
Lailah Ali (born 1977) is a contemporary American artist and boxer. She is renowned for her mixed-media works that explore themes of identity, gender, and cultural representation.
Lastly, Lailah Gifty Akita (born 1976) is a Ghanaian author and motivational speaker. She has written several books on topics such as self-development, spirituality, and personal growth, inspiring readers worldwide with her insightful and empowering messages.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Lailah over time
The chart below shows babies named Lailah 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 Lailah, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 20 births in 2024, compared with 34 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lailah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Lailah 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 | #1867 | 77 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1373 | 241 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2299 | 94 | 9 |
| 1990s | #3386 | 15 | 4 |
Geography
Where Lailah is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Lailah. 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.
Lailah ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #296 in 2017.
Across the UK
Lailah in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#540 in 2023
8 years of NRS records, 31 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#296 in 2017
1 years of NISRA records, 5 total registered
Related
Names similar to Lailah
- Lily 72,956
- Lucy 70,663
- Lauren 50,664
- Leah 33,185
- Lola 24,525
- Layla 24,520
- Laura 23,471
- Lilly 21,714
- Lydia 18,353
- Libby 14,515
- Lara 13,415
- Lacey 13,406
FAQ
Lailah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Lailah in the UK right now?
In 2024, Lailah was ranked #1541 for girls in England and Wales, with 20 births registered.
When was Lailah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 34 babies registered as Lailah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Lailah?
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "born at night".
How many people are called Lailah in the UK?
A total of 427 babies have been registered as Lailah across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 31 more in Scotland and 5 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Lailah most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Lailah ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #296 in 2017. 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.