How to say it
LY · la
/ˈlaɪ.lə/
Feminine
Lyla
Night
What it means
Spelling variant of Layla, from Arabic Laylā ('night'). Same root, just the Anglo-spelling preference popular in the 2010s. Pronounced LYE-la rather than LAY-la in this spelling.
Lyla is the Anglo-spelling variant of Layla, from the Arabic Laylā ('night'). The original Arabic name carries the romantic weight of the 7th-century Layla and Majnun love story; the modern Lyla spelling drops the y for a different pronunciation (LYE-la rather than LAY-la). The spelling surged in the US in the 2010s as parents reached for a name that read distinctively without the obvious Layla association. Oasis's Lyla (2005) used the spelling for a song. It entered the US top 200 in 2017. No common short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #80 in 2025, currently #80 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
LYE-la (rhymes with 'tile-a'), distinguishing it from the related Layla (LAY-la). The Y-spelling drives the different vowel.
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.
- Lyla (Oasis song) 2005 single from Don't Believe the Truth
Spelling variants
- Layla
- Leila
- Lila
Names with the same feeling
See Lyla from another angle
By meaning