UK girl's name
Lylah
A feminine name derived from Arabic 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.
Lylah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Lylah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #539, with 72 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 85 births.
This profile covers 825 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 2002 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 85% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 896 living people in the UK are called Lylah. 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
- • Lylah ranked #539 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 72 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 85 girls were registered as Lylah.
- • Lylah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #275 in 2024.
- • About 896 living people in the UK are estimated to have Lylah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#539
2024
Births in 2024
72
Latest year
Peak year
2021
85 births
Estimated living
896
2026
Meaning
What does Lylah mean?
The name Lylah is a variant spelling of the Arabic name Layla, which means "night" or "born at night." It is derived from the Arabic word "lail," meaning "night." The name has its roots in ancient Arabic culture and can be traced back to pre-Islamic Arabia.
One of the earliest known references to the name Layla comes from the 7th-century Arabic love story "Layla and Majnun," which is considered one of the greatest romantic tragedies in Arabic literature. In this story, Layla is the name of the beautiful young woman who is the object of Majnun's unrequited love.
Throughout history, there have been several notable women named Lylah or Layla. One of the earliest recorded examples is Laylah al-Akhyaliyah, a 7th-century Arab poet and singer who was renowned for her skill in composing poems and songs.
In the 12th century, Laylah al-Amiriyah was a prominent Arabic scholar and writer who lived in Egypt. She is known for her contributions to the fields of literature and Islamic studies.
During the Ottoman Empire, Laylah Khanim was a 16th-century Ottoman princess and the daughter of Sultan Selim II. She is remembered for her patronage of the arts and her support for the construction of mosques and other buildings in Istanbul.
In more recent times, Layla Elvi (1926-2008) was a famous Turkish singer and actress who was known for her interpretations of traditional Turkish folk songs. She was widely regarded as one of the most influential artists in Turkish music history.
Finally, Layla Zoe (born 1975) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician who has released several albums and has gained popularity for her blend of folk, pop, and rock music styles.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Lylah or its variant spellings, highlighting the rich cultural heritage and significance of this name across various regions and time periods.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Lylah over time
The chart below shows babies named Lylah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2002 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 Lylah, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 72 births in 2024, compared with 85 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lylah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Lylah 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 | #576 | 347 | 5 |
| 2010s | #903 | 430 | 10 |
| 2000s | #3567 | 48 | 6 |
Geography
Where Lylah is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Lylah. 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.
Lylah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #275 in 2024.
Across the UK
Lylah in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#275 in 2024
9 years of NRS records, 71 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#337 in 2024
1 years of NISRA records, 4 total registered
Related
Names similar to Lylah
- 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
Lylah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Lylah in the UK right now?
In 2024, Lylah was ranked #539 for girls in England and Wales, with 72 births registered.
When was Lylah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 85 babies registered as Lylah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Lylah?
A feminine name derived from Arabic meaning "night" or "night beauty".
How many people are called Lylah in the UK?
A total of 825 babies have been registered as Lylah across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 71 more in Scotland and 4 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Lylah most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Lylah ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #275 in 2024. 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.