Layla
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a female given name from Arabic, variant of Leila. One of many alternative spellings of a name transliterated from Arabic; see Leila for more information. Since the late 20th century, in English, this given name in this spelling is sometimes bestowed solely because it is considered euphonious, a theme true of many given names; Wikipedia at given name § Popularity discusses name choice motivations.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Layla (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Layla has been rising over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2022. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1998 | – |
| 1999 | – |
| 2000 | – |
| 2001 | – |
| 2002 | – |
| 2003 | – |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | – |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2008 | 5 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2010 | 6 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2012 | 11 |
| 2013 | 3 |
| 2014 | 4 |
| 2015 | 7 |
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 11 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 10 |
| 2022 | 14 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Women and girls |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 191 |
| 2000 | 209 |
| 2001 | 226 |
| 2002 | 241 |
| 2003 | 259 |
| 2004 | 271 |
| 2005 | 290 |
| 2006 | 320 |
| 2007 | 350 |
| 2008 | 402 |
| 2009 | 433 |
| 2010 | 456 |
| 2011 | 469 |
| 2012 | 491 |
| 2013 | 511 |
| 2014 | 531 |
| 2015 | 572 |
| 2016 | 595 |
| 2017 | 631 |
| 2018 | 650 |
| 2019 | 663 |
| 2020 | 678 |
Layla in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Layla.Hi! My name is Layla.
- Har du träffat Layla? Hon började jobba här i måndags.Have you met Layla? She started working here on Monday.
- Jag ska fika med Layla i eftermiddag.I'm having coffee with Layla this afternoon.
- Laylas mamma är lärare.Layla's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Laylas mamma is Layla's mum.
Related names and other spellings
More names
Questions about Layla
How do you pronounce Layla in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Layla in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Layla mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a female given name from Arabic, variant of Leila. One of many alternative spellings of a name transliterated from Arabic; see Leila for more information. Since the late 20th century, in English, this given name in this spelling is sometimes bestowed solely because it is considered euphonious, a theme true of many given names; Wikipedia at given name § Popularity discusses name choice motivations.
How popular is Layla in Sweden?
14 babies were named Layla in 2022. In 2020, 678 people in Sweden had Layla as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been rising lately and peaked in 2022 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.