Girl name · Arabic
Lila
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: variant of Leila, night, or short form of DelilahLila is a girl's name that is of Arabic origin: variant of Leila, night, or short form of Delilah. It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Variant of Leila, night, or short form of Delilah
- Origin
- Arabic
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #187 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Lila
As a girl's name, Lila is of Arabic origin: variant of Leila, night, or short form of Delilah. It is used in English.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
How popular is Lila?
- US rank in 2025
- #187
- 1,670 babies, 1,039 per million girls
- Best rank
- #155 in 2010
- 1,969 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 76,493
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 526 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 753 per million |
| 1900s | 798 per million |
| 1910s | 683 per million |
| 1920s | 862 per million |
| 1930s | 735 per million |
| 1940s | 304 per million |
| 1950s | 186 per million |
| 1960s | 104 per million |
| 1970s | 80 per million |
| 1980s | 73 per million |
| 1990s | 87 per million |
| 2000s | 489 per million |
| 2010s | 947 per million |
| 2020s | 878 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #210 | #210 | #225 | #228 | #228 | #223 | #221 | #213 | #207 | #187 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Lila
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- LilahVariant of Leila, night, or short form of Delilah (Arabic, girl)
Names spelled like Lila
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- LisaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- LiaItalian, Portuguese and Greek form of Leah (Hebrew, girl)
- LeilaNight, from Arabic layl (Arabic, girl)
- LilyLily flower (English, girl)
- LibaLove (Yiddish, girl)
- LidaShort form of Lidiya, woman of Lydia (Greek, girl)
- LilacLilac flower (Persian, girl)
- LileLily flower (English, girl)
- LiliaLily (Hawaiian, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- AlinaShort form of Adelina, Albina and names ending in -alina (Germanic, girl)
- LiamShort for William, will helmet (Germanic, boy)
- MilanGracious, dear; a short form of Slavic Mil- names (Slavic, unisex)
- AliyahVariant of Aaliyah, high, lofty, sublime (Arabic, girl)
- CelineVariant of Céline, from Caelinus, from Caelius or caelum, heaven (Latin, girl)
- ElianVariant of names beginning with Eli, such as Elijah (Hebrew, boy)
- AilanyVariant of Ailani, possibly Hawaiian, to rule as chief (Hawaiian, girl)
- AmayaVariant of Amaia, Basque for the end (Basque, girl)
- ArlethVariant of Arlette, from Herleva, possibly army and legacy (Germanic, girl)
- AvaVariant of Eve, life; in Persian, voice (Hebrew, girl)
- AydenVariant of Aidan, little fire (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- EithanVariant of Ethan, firm, enduring (Hebrew, boy)
- EllaShort form of names such as Elisabeth and Eleonore (Germanic, girl)
- JazielVariant of Jaasiel, God is my maker (Hebrew, boy)
- LaylaNight, from Arabic layl (Arabic, girl)
Middle names for Lila
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Arabic
- FatimaOne who abstains (Arabic, girl)
- NoorLight, radiance (Arabic, unisex)
- SadafSeashell, mother-of-pearl (Arabic, girl)
- AaliyahFeminine form of Aali, high, lofty, sublime (Arabic, girl)
- AishaAlive, living (Arabic, girl)
- AmberAmber, golden fossil resin (Arabic, girl)
- AminaSafe, secure; also trustworthy, faithful (Arabic, girl)
- BushraGood news (Arabic, girl)
- FalakCelestial sphere, sky (Arabic, unisex)
- FarahJoy, happiness (Arabic, girl)
- FaridaUnique, matchless (Arabic, girl)
- FirdausParadise (Arabic, unisex)
- HilalCrescent moon (Arabic, unisex)
- NasimBreeze (Arabic, unisex)
- SaharDawn (Arabic, girl)
- SalmaSafe, peaceful (Arabic, girl)
- ShamsSun (Arabic, unisex)
- SorayaThe Pleiades star cluster (Arabic, girl)
Lila: common questions
What does the name Lila mean?
Lila is of Arabic origin: variant of Leila, night, or short form of Delilah. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Lila a boy or girl name?
Lila is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Lila come from?
Lila is of Arabic origin: variant of Leila, night, or short form of Delilah. Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Lila?
Lila ranked #187 in the US in 2025, with 1,670 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Lila?
Forms of Lila with the same meaning and origin include Lilah (English).
What middle names go with Lila?
Middle names that flow well with Lila include Alexandra, Celeste, Faith, Holly and Juniper. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.