| Dua | Layan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Prayer, supplication | Softness, gentleness |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | doo-AH | lay-AAN |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (231) | 2025 (329) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Dua | Layan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 889 | 1,458 |
| 2010s | 410 | 1,427 |
| 2000s | 164 | 325 |
| 1990s | 22 | 15 |
Dua (دعاء, du'a') means 'prayer, supplication, invocation', from the Arabic root d-'-w. In Islamic practice du'a refers specifically to personal prayer or calling upon God.
Layan (ليان) comes from the Arabic root l-y-n ('to be soft'), carrying the sense of softness, gentleness and an easy, comfortable life. Some sources add a secondary 'ease/prosperity of living' nuance.
Dua and Layan are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Dua means Prayer, supplication (arabic origin), while Layan means Softness, gentleness (arabic origin).
In US records, Dua first appears in 0 and Layan in 0, so Dua has the longer recorded history.