Home › Baby Names Directory › Laylah

Laylah

♀ Girl

Pronounced LAY-luh /ˈleɪ.lə/High

Meaning: Night; from Arabic layla (night, dark beauty)High

In 30 seconds: A spelling variant of Layla meaning 'night' or 'dark beauty' in Arabic. The name is one of the most romantic in Arabic poetry — Layla and Majnun is the region's greatest love story, predating Romeo and Juliet by centuries.

💕 Browse more names

Origin HighArabic, Hebrew

MeaningNight; from Arabic layla (night, dark beauty)

U.S. rank (2025)#1254 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births179 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2014

Total births (all-time)≈ 7,295

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Laylah is a spelling variant of Layla, from Arabic layla (night, dark beauty). The name appears prominently in Arabic poetry and Islamic tradition. The legendary love story of Layla and Majnun (the Lovestruck One) by 12th-century Persian poet Nizami is one of the most celebrated in world literature.

Layla and its variants (Laylah, Leila, Laila) have all ranked on U.S. girls' charts. Layla itself has been a fixture of the charts. Laylah is a less common spelling that ranked #1056 for girls in 2024.

Did you know? Eric Clapton's 1970 song Layla was inspired by the medieval Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi's poem Layla and Majnun — a 12th-century love story that influenced both Arabic and Western romantic traditions.

Overall data confidence 93%

Behind the Name — Layla — Arabic etymologyU.S. Social Security Administration — popularity data

Variations

LaylaLeilaLailaLeyla

Nicknames

LayLay-Lay

Famous Bearers

★Laylah Ali (1968-)
American contemporary visual artist known for figurative gouache paintings

If you like Laylah…

Layla— the most common spelling of the same Arabic name

Leila— the Persian form of the same night-origin name

Laila— another common spelling in the same family

Zayla— Z-variant name with the same -ayla sound

Dalilah— another -lah ending name in the same soft-consonant register

Explore names like Laylah

By themearabic variant-spelling romantic night

By meaningBeauty

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Laylah mean?

Laylah means 'night' or 'dark beauty,' a spelling variant of Arabic Layla.

How do you pronounce Laylah?

It's said LAY-luh — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Laylah a boy or girl name?

Laylah is used as a girls' name.

How popular is Laylah?

Laylah ranked #1056 for U.S. girls in 2024.