| Fatima | Leila | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Captivating; one who weans | night |
| Origin | Arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | FAH-tee-mah | LAY-lah |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1919 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2006 (1,515) | 2010 (1,509) |
| In 2025 | 931 | 1,193 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Fatima | Leila |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5,437 | 7,702 |
| 2010s | 10,495 | 13,914 |
| 2000s | 13,601 | 9,904 |
| 1990s | 4,434 | 2,177 |
| 1980s | 2,433 | 2,106 |
| 1970s | 1,484 | 1,624 |
| 1960s | 565 | 1,578 |
| 1950s | 281 | 1,740 |
| 1940s | 125 | 1,852 |
| 1930s | 62 | 2,473 |
| 1920s | 22 | 3,340 |
| 1910s | 6 | 2,830 |
| 1900s | 0 | 1,529 |
| 1890s | 0 | 1,588 |
| 1880s | 0 | 1,079 |
Fatima is traditionally linked to “one who weans” and “captivating.” Fatimah was the Prophet’s daughter.
Variant spelling of Layla, from Arabic 'layl' meaning 'night'. The 'Leila' form was popularized in English via 19th-century Western literature.
Leila is more popular than Fatima today: about 1,193 US babies were given the name Leila in 2025, compared with 931 named Fatima.
Fatima means Captivating; one who weans (Arabic origin), while Leila means night (arabic origin).
In US records, Fatima first appears in 1919 and Leila in 1880, so Leila has the longer recorded history.