UK girl's name
Leilah
Of Arabic origin, meaning "night" or "dark beauty".
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.
Leilah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Leilah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3318, with 7 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 29 births.
This profile covers 391 England and Wales registrations across 28 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 24% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 400 living people in the UK are called Leilah. 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
- • Leilah ranked #3318 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 7 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 29 girls were registered as Leilah.
- • Leilah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #802 in 2014.
- • About 400 living people in the UK are estimated to have Leilah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3318
2024
Births in 2024
7
Latest year
Peak year
2015
29 births
Estimated living
400
2026
Meaning
What does Leilah mean?
The name Leilah has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "layl," which means "night." It is a feminine name that has been in use for centuries and has a rich cultural and historical significance.
In the Islamic tradition, Leilah is associated with the night of power or the night of destiny, known as Laylat al-Qadr, which is considered one of the most sacred nights in the Islamic calendar. This night is believed to be when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
The name Leilah has been documented in various historical records and texts throughout the Middle East and North Africa. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the medieval Arabic literature, where it was used as a poetic metaphor to represent beauty, mystery, and tranquility.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Leilah. One of the most famous was Leilah al-Khayria, a 10th-century Arab poet and scholar from Cordoba, Spain, who was renowned for her contributions to literature and philosophy.
Another prominent figure was Leilah Khaled, a Palestinian revolutionary and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who was active in the 1960s and 1970s and became an iconic figure in the Palestinian resistance movement.
In the world of music, Leilah Bakhtiar was an Iranian singer and songwriter known for her performances of traditional Persian music in the 20th century. She was born in 1932 and was considered one of the most influential voices in Iranian classical music.
In the realm of literature, Leilah Nadir was an Egyptian novelist and short story writer who lived from 1909 to 1989. Her works explored themes of social injustice, women's rights, and the complexities of modern Egyptian society.
Another notable figure was Leilah Abdennabi, a Tunisian activist and feminist who fought for women's rights and played a significant role in the Tunisian women's movement in the mid-20th century. She was born in 1907 and dedicated her life to promoting gender equality and social reforms.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Leilah over time
The chart below shows babies named Leilah 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 Leilah, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 7 births in 2024, compared with 29 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leilah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Leilah 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 | #2441 | 54 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1893 | 180 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1669 | 137 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2400 | 20 | 3 |
Geography
Where Leilah is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Leilah. 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.
Leilah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #802 in 2014.
Across the UK
Leilah in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#802 in 2014
3 years of NRS records, 11 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Leilah
-
Leilah de Meza
actor; film actor
British actress
2003-
-
Leilah Sutherland
actor; film actor
British actress
1985-
Related
Names similar to Leilah
- 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
Leilah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Leilah in the UK right now?
In 2024, Leilah was ranked #3318 for girls in England and Wales, with 7 births registered.
When was Leilah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 29 babies registered as Leilah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Leilah?
Of Arabic origin, meaning "night" or "dark beauty".
How many people are called Leilah in the UK?
A total of 391 babies have been registered as Leilah across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 11 more in Scotland.
Where is Leilah most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Leilah ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #802 in 2014. 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.