A Name Story by Houdhoud
لَيْلَى
Layla
LAY-lah
“Night, dark beauty.”
About Layla
Layla is a Muslim baby girl's name meaning "night, dark beauty", an Arabic-Persian-Turkish name carried for centuries across the Muslim world.
From the Arabic root ل-ي-ل meaning 'night'. Evokes the calm beauty of evening. Famous in Arabic literature through the love story of Layla and Majnun. It shares its root with al-Layl, the name of Surah 92.
Widely used across Arab, Persian, Turkish, and South Asian families. Reads naturally in English.
Spellings of Layla
لَيْلَى is one name, written in Latin letters in more than one way. Every spelling below is the same name.
| Spelling | Births in England and Wales, 2025 | Births in France, 2016 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Laylathe spelling used on this page | 833 | 1,050 |
| Leila | 171 | 1,200 |
| Leyla | 101 | 1,590 |
| Laila | 151 | 200 |
Babies registered with exactly that spelling. England and Wales: Office for National Statistics, 2025 (the list covers names given to 3 or more babies). France: INSEE Fichier des prénoms, 2016 to 2025 added together (INSEE rounds each yearly count to the nearest 5).
Origin & roots
Origin
Arabic · Persian · Turkish
Gender
Girl
Root letters
In Arabic, root letters are the seed that gives a word its meaning. Every word built from them inherits that family of meaning, and Layla is one such word.
In the Qur’an
Surah 92 : Ayah 1
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ
“By the night when it covers”
The root letters of Layla live inside this verse, a quiet thread connecting the name to the words of revelation.
Across history
Who has carried Layla before.
- Layla al-Akhyaliyyah (7th c.), Arab poet
How to say it
Stressed syllable in capitals
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Common questions about Layla
- What does the name Layla mean?
- Layla (لَيْلَى) means "Night, dark beauty". From the Arabic root ل-ي-ل meaning 'night'. Evokes the calm beauty of evening. Famous in Arabic literature through the love story of Layla and Majnun. It shares its root with al-Layl, the name of Surah 92.
- Is Layla a name from the Qur'an?
- Layla shares its root letters with the Qur'an: the verse in Surah 92, Ayah 1 carries the same root. The verse is on this page with its English meaning.
- Is Layla a boy or a girl name?
- Layla is traditionally a girl's name.
- Where does the name Layla come from?
- Layla is an Arabic-Persian-Turkish name, built on the root letters L-Y-L. Widely used across Arab, Persian, Turkish, and South Asian families. Reads naturally in English.
Browse names like Layla
Collections Layla belongs to.
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