| Layla | Aaliyah | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | night | High, exalted, sublime |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | LAY-lah | ah-LEE-ah |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1950 | 1976 |
| Peak year | 2019 (6,523) | 2012 (5,523) |
| In 2025 | 5,338 | 2,607 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Layla | Aaliyah |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 35,046 | 18,666 |
| 2010s | 63,242 | 46,734 |
| 2000s | 26,209 | 36,381 |
| 1990s | 2,189 | 7,839 |
| 1980s | 1,052 | 209 |
| 1970s | 1,355 | 142 |
| 1960s | 24 | 0 |
| 1950s | 19 | 0 |
From Arabic 'layl' meaning 'night'. Famous from the classical Arabic/Persian love story of Layla and Majnun.
Aaliyah ('aliya, عالية) is the feminine of 'Ali ('high, exalted'), from the Arabic root '-l-w, meaning 'high, lofty, sublime'. It appears in many transliterations including Alia, Aliyah, Aliya and Aaliyah.
Layla is more popular than Aaliyah today: about 5,338 US babies were given the name Layla in 2025, compared with 2,607 named Aaliyah.
Layla means night (arabic origin), while Aaliyah means High, exalted, sublime (arabic origin).
In US records, Layla first appears in 1950 and Aaliyah in 1976, so Layla has the longer recorded history.