Houdhoud, the hoopoe

A Name Story by Houdhoud

لَيْلَى

Leila

LAY-la

Night.”

About Leila

Leila is a Muslim baby girl's name meaning "night" — a Persian-Arabic name carried for centuries across the Muslim world.

Persian-Arabic spelling variant of Layla. Same root and meaning.

Commonly used in Persian, Turkish, and Western contexts.

Origin & roots

Origin

Persian · Arabic

Gender

Girl

Root letters

ل ي لL-Y-L

Persian and Arabic share many roots through centuries of Islamic scholarship; Leila's consonants live comfortably in both.

In the Qur’an

Surah 92 : Ayah 1

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ

By the night when it covers,

Saheeh International translation · sourced from Tanzil

The root letters of Leila live inside this verse — a quiet thread connecting the name to the words of revelation.

How to say it

LAY·la

Stressed syllable in capitals

Discover names like Leila

Other names with the same heart — close in origin, sound, and spirit.

Looking for a name made for your family?

I’ll ask six warm questions about your family — heritage, the sound you love, who you’d like to honor — and find names made for yours. About ninety seconds.

Free · No sign-up

Leila: Meaning, Pronunciation, and Origin · Houdhoud