A LITTLE UNCOMMON. ENTIRELY YOURS.
Meaning, origin and pronunciation, with published usage by place and year.
Checking your saved choices…
Share this name or preview its baby card in Discover.
Play or charm in the Sanskrit route; other naming routes have separate histories.
The Sanskrit-derived name is glossed play or charm. That translation does not apply automatically to the Leila/Lilah routes; the Spanish lilac connection is an association rather than a universal meaning. A feminine-of-Lyle island account is not established by this source.
Multiple routes: Leila/Lilah forms and a separate Sanskrit name.
The exact English entry distinguishes Leila or Lilah variants, depending on pronunciation, from Sanskrit līlā used as a given name in India. It also notes a Spanish lilac association. English use does not make these one exclusive English root.
/ˈliːlə/
One recorded US English dictionary reading of this exact spelling; other readings are possible. The separate English given-name entry confirms name use; CMUdict does not identify a bearer or name tradition. The English name entry documents multiple naming routes depending on pronunciation. This dictionary reading does not settle those routes; native and preferred readings may differ. Original ARPABET: L IY1 L AH0.
Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
| Place | Year | Recorded usage | Published births | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2025 | Girls | 128 · preliminary | 242 | 2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| France | 2025 | Girls | 560 (rounded to 5) | 90 | Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published. |
| England & Wales | 2025 | Girls | 277 | 179 | Published ranks differ from ranks calculated over visible rows. Counts retained; automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published. |
| Northern Ireland | 2025 | Girls | 15 | 132 | Two rank discrepancies and alternate-view differences retained. Automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published. |
| Scotland | 2025 | Girls | 17 | 217 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| Ireland | 2025 | Girls | 15 | 273 | Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| United States | 2025 | Girls | 1,670 | 186 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts. |
| United States | 1939 | Boys | 6 | 3113 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts. |
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Checked against cited source
Exact entry documents English given-name use, distinct from linguistic ancestry. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
Exact Finnish section records feminine given-name use and identifies a Leila variant route. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lila&oldid=91488131. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names condensed the cited given-name and lexical sections, retaining distinct language contexts. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The Sanskrit-derived name is glossed play or charm. That translation does not apply automatically to the Leila/Lilah routes; the Spanish lilac connection is an association rather than a universal meaning. A feminine-of-Lyle island account is not established by this source. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The Finnish entry records optional vowel length in this pronunciation. It is not an English pronunciation guide and does not determine how every bearer says the name. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lila&oldid=91488131. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names condensed the cited given-name and lexical sections, retaining distinct language contexts. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The exact English entry distinguishes Leila or Lilah variants, depending on pronunciation, from Sanskrit līlā used as a given name in India. It also notes a Spanish lilac association. English use does not make these one exclusive English root. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
One recorded US English dictionary reading of this exact spelling; other readings are possible. The separate English given-name entry confirms name use; CMUdict does not identify a bearer or name tradition. The English name entry documents multiple naming routes depending on pronunciation. This dictionary reading does not settle those routes; native and preferred readings may differ. Original ARPABET: L IY1 L AH0. Credit: Carnegie Mellon University, CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; Wiktionary contributors for name identity only. Pronunciation source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cmusphinx/cmudict/74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690/cmudict.dict. License: CMUdict BSD-style license (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cmusphinx/cmudict/74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690/LICENSE). Name-identity source: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lila&oldid=91488131 under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names converted the recorded phone sequences to broad IPA and counted vowel phonemes. No source audio reused.
Credit: Carnegie Mellon University and CMUdict contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: selected exact-spelling dictionary readings converted from ARPABET to broad IPA, with qualified syllable counts. CMUdict does not identify a bearer’s preferred pronunciation or name tradition.
Copyright (C) 1993-2015 Carnegie Mellon University. All rights reserved. Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. The contents of this file are deemed to be source code. 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution. This work was supported in part by funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation of the United States of America, and by member companies of the Carnegie Mellon Sphinx Speech Consortium. We acknowledge the contributions of many volunteers to the expansion and improvement of this dictionary. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY NOR ITS EMPLOYEES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
CMUdict BSD-style license
Checked against cited source
One recorded US English dictionary reading of this exact spelling; other readings are possible. The separate English given-name entry confirms name use; CMUdict does not identify a bearer or name tradition. The English name entry documents multiple naming routes depending on pronunciation. This dictionary reading does not settle those routes; native and preferred readings may differ. Original ARPABET: L IY1 L AH0. Credit: Carnegie Mellon University, CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; Wiktionary contributors for name identity only. Pronunciation source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cmusphinx/cmudict/74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690/cmudict.dict. License: CMUdict BSD-style license (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cmusphinx/cmudict/74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690/LICENSE). Name-identity source: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lila&oldid=91488131 under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names converted the recorded phone sequences to broad IPA and counted vowel phonemes. No source audio reused.
Credit: Carnegie Mellon University and CMUdict contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: selected exact-spelling dictionary readings converted from ARPABET to broad IPA, with qualified syllable counts. CMUdict does not identify a bearer’s preferred pronunciation or name tradition.
Copyright (C) 1993-2015 Carnegie Mellon University. All rights reserved. Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. The contents of this file are deemed to be source code. 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution. This work was supported in part by funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation of the United States of America, and by member companies of the Carnegie Mellon Sphinx Speech Consortium. We acknowledge the contributions of many volunteers to the expansion and improvement of this dictionary. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY NOR ITS EMPLOYEES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
CMUdict BSD-style license
Checked against cited source
Spelling variants in the Sanskrit-derived name tradition. Lila also has other origins. Popularity counts remain separate.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The exact English entry lists this variant relationship depending on pronunciation. It belongs to the Leila/Lilah naming routes; the separate Sanskrit Lila/Leela route remains distinct. Name statistics are not merged. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lila&oldid=91488131. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names condensed the cited given-name and lexical sections, retaining distinct language contexts. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The exact English entry lists this variant relationship depending on pronunciation. It belongs to the Leila/Lilah naming routes; the separate Sanskrit Lila/Leela route remains distinct. Name statistics are not merged. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Lila&oldid=91488131. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names condensed the cited given-name and lexical sections, retaining distinct language contexts. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
View statistics source (link unavailable)
View statistics source (link unavailable)
View statistics source (link unavailable)
Attribution: Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
Attribution: (C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
Attribution: U.S. Social Security Administration
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.
Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.
