| Huda | Kalila | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Guidance | Beloved, sweetheart |
| Origin | Arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | HOO-dah | kah-LEE-lah |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1976 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (117) | 2019 (67) |
| In 2025 | 117 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Huda | Kalila |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 479 | 280 |
| 2010s | 600 | 420 |
| 2000s | 518 | 210 |
| 1990s | 277 | 151 |
| 1980s | 125 | 85 |
| 1970s | 22 | 22 |
Huda means “right guidance” in Arabic.
An Arabic feminine name linked to the root kh-l-l behind khalil 'close friend, companion, beloved'. Sources give both 'beloved/sweetheart' and 'dear friend'; the 'friend' sense is the more literal core, so treat 'beloved' as the affectionate extension.
Huda is more popular than Kalila today: about 117 US babies were given the name Huda in 2025, compared with 0 named Kalila.
Huda means Guidance (Arabic origin), while Kalila means Beloved, sweetheart (arabic origin).
In US records, Huda first appears in 1976 and Kalila in 0, so Kalila has the longer recorded history.