Gender Feminine
Scripts ليلى (Arabic)
Meaning & History
Means "night" in Arabic [1] [2] . Layla was the love interest of the poet Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.
Related Names
VariantsLaila, Leila, Leyla (Arabic) Laïla (Arabic (Maghrebi)) Laila, Leila, Lela, Leyla, Lila, Lilah, Lyla, Lylah, Leilah (English)
Popularity
People think this name is
youthful natural wholesome refined strange
Sources & References
- Wehr, Hans. A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic. Spoken Language Services, 1979, page 1040.
- Ahmed, Salahuddin. A Dictionary of Muslim Names. New York University, 1999, page 279.
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Entry updated May 26, 2026