NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Laiyla

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "night" or "born at night".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2011. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Laiyla is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Laiyla popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2011 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5785, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 3 births.

This profile covers 6 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2010 to 2011. 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 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 6 living people in the UK are called Laiyla. 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 2012 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Laiyla ranked #5785 for girls in England and Wales in 2011, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2010, when 3 girls were registered as Laiyla.
  • About 6 living people in the UK are estimated to have Laiyla as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5785

2011

Births in 2011

3

Latest year

Peak year

2010

3 births

Estimated living

6

2026

Meaning

What does Laiyla mean?

The name Laiyla has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is the feminine form of the Arabic word "layl" meaning "night." The name can be traced back to pre-Islamic Arabia, where it was likely used as a poetic term to describe the beauty and mystery of the night.

In Arabic literature, the name Laiyla is most famously associated with the tragic love story of Layla and Majnun, which dates back to the 7th century. The story, written by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, tells of the ill-fated love between Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and the beautiful Layla bint Makhduh. Their love was so intense that Qays became known as "Majnun" (the madman) for his obsession with Layla.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Laiyla was Layla bint Abi Murrah al-Thaqafi, a 7th-century Arab poet and warrior from the Banu Thaqif tribe in Mecca. She was known for her bravery and skill in battle, as well as for her poetry, which often celebrated the virtues of courage and honor.

In the 9th century, Laiyla al-Akhyaliyya was a renowned singer and musician from Baghdad. She was celebrated for her exceptional voice and mastery of the lute, and was a favorite of the Abbasid caliphs.

Another notable figure in history with the name Laiyla was Laiyla al-Amiriyya, a 10th-century Arab mathematician and astronomer from Damascus. She made significant contributions to the fields of trigonometry and spherical geometry, and her works were widely studied and influential in the Islamic world.

In the 12th century, Laiyla al-Akhyaliyya was a famous Andalusian poet and literary figure from Seville. Her poetry, which often explored themes of love and longing, was highly regarded and widely circulated throughout the Iberian Peninsula.

Laiyla Khanum, born in 1805, was a prominent Indian poet and courtesan from Awadh (present-day Uttar Pradesh). She was renowned for her wit, beauty, and literary talents, and her poetry, written in Urdu and Persian, was widely celebrated in her time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Laiyla over time

The chart below shows babies named Laiyla registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2010 to 2011. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Laiyla, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2011, compared with 3 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Laiyla
01223201020102011

Decades

Laiyla by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Laiyla 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 #5746 6 2

Related

Names similar to Laiyla

FAQ

Laiyla: questions and answers

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

In 2011, Laiyla was ranked #5785 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Laiyla most popular?

The peak year on record was 2010, with 3 babies registered as Laiyla in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Laiyla?

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "night" or "born at night".

How many people are called Laiyla in the UK?

A total of 6 babies have been registered as Laiyla across the 2 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.