| Layan | Noor | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Softness, gentleness | Light |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | lay-AAN | NOOR |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1979 |
| Peak year | 2025 (329) | 2025 (435) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 435 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Layan | Noor |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,458 | 2,176 |
| 2010s | 1,427 | 2,673 |
| 2000s | 325 | 2,124 |
| 1990s | 15 | 1,053 |
| 1980s | 0 | 243 |
| 1970s | 0 | 7 |
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.
Noor (نور, nur) means 'light' and comes from the Arabic root n-w-r. It is used for girls and boys across the Muslim world and carries connotations of radiance and divine light. Transliteration varies between Noor, Nour and Nur.
Noor is more popular than Layan today: about 435 US babies were given the name Noor in 2025, compared with 0 named Layan.
Layan means Softness, gentleness (arabic origin), while Noor means Light (arabic origin).
In US records, Layan first appears in 0 and Noor in 1979, so Layan has the longer recorded history.