Name
Layla
Meaning
Layla is a feminine name of Arabic origin meaning “night”.
Layla comes from the Arabic word for night and stars in one of the oldest love stories on record, the seventh-century romance of Layla and Majnun. Eric Clapton's anguished rock anthem, itself inspired by that tale, fixed the name in Western culture for good.
A US top-30 girls' name across all its spellings for more than a decade.
Popularity in the United States
Girls
Ranked #36 in 2025 · peak #23 in 2019
Data: US Social Security Administration, top-1000 ranks.
At a glance
- Origin
- Arabic
- Gender
- Feminine
- Pronounced
- /LAY-lah/
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Questions
Layla is a feminine name of Arabic origin meaning “night”. Layla comes from the Arabic word for night and stars in one of the oldest love stories on record, the seventh-century romance of Layla and Majnun.
Layla is traditionally a feminine (girl) name. It is a US top-30 girls' name across all its spellings for more than a decade.
The name Layla comes from Arabic. Layla comes from the Arabic word for night and stars in one of the oldest love stories on record, the seventh-century romance of Layla and Majnun. Eric Clapton's anguished rock anthem, itself inspired by that tale, fixed the name in Western culture for good.
Layla is pronounced LAY-lah.
More names that mean night
Names that share this meaning.