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