girl's name
Nayla
NIGH-lah
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 9,165
France
#166
2025 births
Nayla is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "one who attains" or "achiever," from a root about obtaining what is sought. It ranks 166th in France and is at its recorded peak now.
- Nayla is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in France in 2025, when 325 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 1,814 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1976.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Nayla Over Time
Births per decade in France, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 10 |
| 1980s | 25 |
| 1990s | 50 |
| 2000s | 505 |
| 2010s | 2,415 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,625 |
What Nayla Means
Nayla means one who attains, acquires or achieves, from the Arabic root nala, to obtain or reach. The sense is active — someone who gets what they set out for — rather than someone favored with it.
Where Nayla Comes From
Nayla is a French spelling of the Arabic Naila, from nala, to attain or obtain. Naila bint al-Farafisa was the wife of the caliph Uthman, and by tradition she lost fingers defending him when he was killed in 656; she sent his bloodstained shirt and her severed fingers to Mu'awiya in Damascus, an act that helped precipitate the first Islamic civil war. The name is common across the Arab world and in South Asia as Naila. Nayla is separately a name in Indonesia and Malaysia, arriving there with Islam, and the spelling with y is a French orthographic choice of the kind that also produced Leyna and Mylan. Neyla, which ranks just below it in France, is the same name again.
Nayla in Use
Nayla ranks 166th in France with about 325 births in 2025 and is at its recorded peak this year. It is on record from 1976. It holds 816th in England and Wales and 1,076th in the United States. Neyla is written up separately, and Neyla ranks 167th in France, so the two spellings sit almost exactly level and together would stand considerably higher.
How Popular Is Nayla?
In 2025, Nayla was given to 325 babies in France, ranking #166 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Nayla Is Used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Nayla
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Nayla Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Nayla over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Nayla
- Pronunciation NIGH-lah /naj.la/
Nayla 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 Nayla
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Nayla — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Nayla
What does the name Nayla mean?
Nayla means "one who attains" or "achiever," from the Arabic nala, to obtain.
Who was Naila bint al-Farafisa?
The wife of the caliph Uthman, who by tradition lost fingers defending him in 656.
Is Nayla the same as Neyla?
Yes — both are French spellings of the Arabic Naila, and they rank almost level in France.
How popular is Nayla?
166th in France, and at its recorded high point.
Is Nayla a girl's or a boy's name?
Nayla is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Nayla?
Nayla has 2 syllables.
Is Nayla a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Nayla currently ranks #166 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.