Nala is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Nala means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Nala across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Nala has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Nala is a girl name of African origin meaning “successful or lion”. A name with African associations, popularized by The Lion King.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 6,138 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 733 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 14 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 Nala per year, United States (1979 to 2025). United States peaked in 2019 (428/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2020 (97/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2020 (5/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2022 (3/yr).
Nala is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2019, when it ranked #1,297 nationally (given to 504 babies that year).
Nayeli · Nell · Neal · Nyla · Nylah · Nola · Nayely · Noelia
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