girl's name
Lila
LY-la
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 102,946
the United States
#186
2025 births
Lila is a girl's name with two unrelated origins: the Arabic layla, meaning "night," and the Sanskrit līlā, meaning "divine play" — a concept in Hindu philosophy for creation as a form of play.
- Lila is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in 2010, when 1,969 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,985 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lila over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 691 |
| 1890s | 1,673 |
| 1900s | 2,337 |
| 1910s | 5,567 |
| 1920s | 10,325 |
| 1930s | 7,876 |
| 1940s | 4,408 |
| 1950s | 3,569 |
| 1960s | 1,905 |
| 1970s | 1,234 |
| 1980s | 1,255 |
| 1990s | 1,560 |
| 2000s | 9,036 |
| 2010s | 16,568 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,546 |
What Lila means
Lila means night in its Arabic reading and divine play in its Sanskrit one. The Sanskrit sense is philosophical: līlā describes the universe as God's spontaneous play rather than labor.
Where Lila comes from
Two distinct names reach this spelling. The Arabic layla, night, gives Leila and Layla, made famous by the seventh-century poet Qays and his beloved Layla, whose story Nizami retold and Eric Clapton borrowed. The Sanskrit līlā is a term in Hindu theology for divine play — the idea that creation is God's effortless sport rather than work — and is used as a name in India independently. A third reading connects Lila to Delilah or Lilian, which is a modern shortening rather than an etymology.
Lila in use
Our data shows Lila stable, peaking in 2010, at 179 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1880. It sits alongside Lilah, Layla, Leila and Lyla on this site — five entries sharing a sound while descending from at least two unrelated languages.
How popular is Lila?
In 2025, Lila was given to 1,670 babies in the United States, ranking #186 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Lila is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Lila is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Lïla | Lïla is a rare spelling of Lila, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Lila
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lila also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lila over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Lila
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Lila in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Lila
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lila — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lila
What does the name Lila mean?
"Night" in Arabic, from layla — or "divine play" in Sanskrit, from līlā. Two unrelated names at one spelling.
What is lila in Hindu philosophy?
The idea that creation is God's spontaneous play rather than labor — an effortless sport.
Are Lila and Layla the same name?
In their Arabic reading, yes. The Sanskrit Lila is a separate name entirely.
How popular is the name Lila?
In 2025, Lila was given to 1,670 babies in the United States, ranking #186 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Lila a girl's or a boy's name?
Lila is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lila?
Lila has 2 syllables.
When was Lila most popular?
Lila peaked in 2010, when 1,969 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Lila?
Lila is usually shortened to Li.
Is Lila a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lila currently ranks #91 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.