How to say it
LI · la
/ˈlaɪ.lə/
Feminine
Lila
Night, or 'divine play'
What it means
Three roots converged: Arabic Laylah ('night,' same as Layla), Persian Lila ('purple, lilac'), and Sanskrit Lila ('divine play, cosmic dance' in Hindu theology). Lila Crane in Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) is a Hollywood anchor.
Lila has three roots that converged in modern US use. The Arabic Laylah means 'night' (same as Layla, the One Thousand and One Nights narrator's name). The Persian Lila means 'lilac' or 'purple flower.' The Sanskrit Lila means 'divine play' or 'cosmic dance,' a key theological concept in Hindu philosophy describing the relationship between the divine and the created world. Lila Crane is the sister of Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). As a US given name Lila has been climbing since 2010 with the vintage-revival wave (Lila echoes Lilah, Lily, and Delilah). It entered the US top 200 in 2018. Common short: Li or Lila is already a short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #155 in 2010, currently #187 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pronunciation
LY-luh (rhymes with 'tile') is the dominant US pronunciation; LEE-luh is the Sanskrit and the alternate.
- Spelling
Lila (no H) and Lilah (with H) are the same name; Lila is the slightly more common US spelling.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Lila Crane Vera Miles's character in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960)
Spelling variants
- Lilah
- Layla
- Leyla
Names with the same feeling
See Lila from another angle
By style