Lela is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Lela means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Lela across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Lela has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Lela is a girl name of Arabic, Persian origin meaning “night”. A variant of Leila or Lila.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 43,073 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 127 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 5 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 6 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Lela per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1921 (907/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2022 (11/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2010 (5/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2003 (3/yr).
Lela has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1921, when it ranked #379 nationally (given to 907 babies that year).
Lily · Layla · Lulu · Lyla · Lola · Lula · Laila · Lowell
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