NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Lejla

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

Lejla is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Lejla popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4843, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 8 births.

This profile covers 51 England and Wales registrations across 13 recorded years from 2000 to 2024. 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 50% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 51 living people in the UK are called Lejla. 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

  • Lejla ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2015, when 8 girls were registered as Lejla.
  • About 51 living people in the UK are estimated to have Lejla as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4843

2024

Births in 2024

4

Latest year

Peak year

2015

8 births

Estimated living

51

2026

Meaning

What does Lejla mean?

The name Lejla is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "layl," which means "night" or "dark." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the medieval period, where it was likely used to describe someone who was born at night or had a dark complexion.

Lejla is a variant spelling of the more common Arabic name Layla, which has been popularized in various cultures and literary works throughout history. One of the earliest references to the name can be found in the 7th-century Arabic love story "Layla and Majnun," which tells the tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers.

In the 12th century, the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi wrote an epic poem titled "Khosrow and Shirin," which featured a character named Lejla. This work is considered one of the masterpieces of Persian literature and has contributed to the name's enduring popularity in the region.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Lejla was Lejla Ibrahimpašić (1925-2019), a Bosnian writer, and journalist who played a significant role in the cultural and literary scene of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 20th century.

Another notable figure was Lejla Abbasová (1963-2008), a Czechoslovak-born singer and actress of Romani descent, who achieved widespread popularity in the Czech Republic and Slovakia with her unique blend of traditional Romani music and pop.

In the realm of sports, Lejla Panlić (born 1986) is a Bosnian professional basketball player who has represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in international competitions and played for various teams in Europe and Turkey.

Lejla Memić (born 1987) is a Bosnian filmmaker and screenwriter whose debut feature film, "Inferno," received critical acclaim and won several awards at international film festivals.

Lejla Selendić (born 1987) is a Bosnian author and journalist known for her novels and short stories that explore themes of identity, displacement, and the complexities of modern life in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Lejla over time

The chart below shows babies named Lejla registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2000 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 Lejla, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 8 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Lejla
02468200020122024

Decades

Lejla by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Lejla 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 #4843 4 1
2010s #4737 31 7
2000s #4740 16 5

Related

Names similar to Lejla

FAQ

Lejla: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Lejla was ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Lejla most popular?

The peak year on record was 2015, with 8 babies registered as Lejla in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Lejla?

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "night" or "night beauty".

How many people are called Lejla in the UK?

A total of 51 babies have been registered as Lejla across the 13 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.