girl's name
Lilah
LY-la
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 31,703
the United States
#179
2025 births
Lilah is a girl's name with two possible origins: the Hebrew laylah, meaning "night," or a short form of Delilah, whose meaning is "delicate" or "languishing." It is also read simply as a respelling of Lila.
- Lilah is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,736 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,910 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1884.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lilah 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 | 32 |
| 1890s | 125 |
| 1900s | 120 |
| 1910s | 254 |
| 1920s | 284 |
| 1930s | 146 |
| 1940s | 102 |
| 1950s | 74 |
| 1960s | 60 |
| 1970s | 121 |
| 1980s | 148 |
| 1990s | 271 |
| 2000s | 3,374 |
| 2010s | 10,752 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,801 |
What Lilah means
Lilah means night in its Hebrew reading, from laylah. Taken as a short form of Delilah it means delicate or weakened instead — a very different sense from a name that only looks like its parent.
Where Lilah comes from
Lilah sits at the meeting point of several names. The Hebrew laylah, night, gives Leila and Layla, a name Persian and Arabic poetry made famous through the tragic romance of Layla and Majnun. Delilah, from the Hebrew delilah, meaning delicate or one who weakens, is a separate name with a much less flattering biblical bearer. And Lila exists independently in Sanskrit, where līlā means divine play. Lilah, with the h, is a modern spelling that can point at any of them, which is why reference works disagree.
Lilah in use
Our data shows Lilah peaking in 2025 — still climbing — at 99 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1884. It belongs to the same rising cluster as Layla, Lyla, Myla and Isla: names that share a shape rather than a root, which is how a sound rather than a meaning becomes fashionable.
How popular is Lilah?
In 2025, Lilah was given to 1,736 babies in the United States, ranking #179 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Lilah 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.
Names that peaked alongside Lilah
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lilah also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lilah over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Lilah
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.
Lilah 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 Lilah
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lilah — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lilah
What does the name Lilah mean?
"Night" in its Hebrew reading, from laylah. As a short form of Delilah it means delicate instead.
Is Lilah short for Delilah?
It can be, though it is more often a spelling of Lila or Leila, which have different roots.
How do you pronounce Lilah?
Most commonly LY-la, rhyming with Isla, though LEE-la also occurs.
How popular is the name Lilah?
In 2025, Lilah was given to 1,736 babies in the United States, ranking #179 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Lilah a girl's or a boy's name?
Lilah is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lilah?
Lilah has 2 syllables.
When was Lilah most popular?
Lilah peaked in 2025, when 1,736 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Lilah?
Lilah is usually shortened to Li.
Is Lilah a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lilah currently ranks #99 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.