Leila name meaning with surname

[Millie272020]

Hi,

I am considering the name Leila but with our Arabic surname the name means night way of life or night lifestyle... is this an odd meaning to the name? Does it bring up strange connotations? I really like the name Leila but the combination with the surname is slightly off putting...

I think most people are unaware of names meaning here in NZ I don't know about in other countries though...
I like Leila are you saying it lee-luh? Or lay-luh? 😃

That’s true, not many people will know the meaning unless they understand the language the name originates from :). I’ll be saying Lay-luh..

I agree it doesn’t sound right. But would you prefer a name that went with your surname (like for example Saliha which means virtuous) or something unrelated?

I don’t mind either way as long as the meaning is decent xx

The meaning of a name is important to me, so I'd be inclined not to use Leila if it has that meaning with your surname. I'm not very familiar with Arabic names, so can't help with suggestions.

I wouldn't use it considering the surname. Even if your home country doesn't have many Arabic speakers, many people in the world can speak it. It would be a bit cumbersome if she wanted to travel.

It wouldn’t bother me. Until I read your post, I’d never put together the meanings of my first name and my surname, which I now realise loosely means “successful warmonger.” Ha ha, that’s given me a bit of a giggle! I rather like ‘night lifestyle’. Makes me think of a lovely owl.

I have a Leila! Honestly very few people are going to know the meanings so I don't think it matters.

I'm not sure some posters are understanding two things. 1. That Leila = night and 2. That your surname = way of life/life so combined mean, essentially, "night life".

Also not sure they realise that meanings of names are commonly known in Arabic. They've not been lost the way English ones have. The closest I could think of in English would be a name like Dawn Worker. Separately we don't think of the meanings of those two names when we hear them, but put them together and you can see them more obviously.

So, if you are ever around Arabic speaking communities, I just wouldn't choose Leila. In particular with that combination of surname. You've noticed it enough to post here, others will notice it too. It's a nice name though! If you aren't in Arabic speaking communities that much that's different as even if they do know what Leila means, as many do, they'll have no idea what your surname means!!

Will everyone who is Arabic know the meaning? Sorry if I’m being ignorant. But I don’t know meaning of British names so... I dunno, it wouldn’t bother me either way.

I come from a similar background and wouldn't choose Leila for the reasons you've given. The first thing people do is look at the meaning of a name before naming a child. It is a big thing, whereas here the sound & whether you like the name is more important.

How about Nouriya? It means light, coming from the root Noor & will be easier to pronounce for Westerners as it doesn't end with an r.

Thanks so much everyone for the advice. Yes there is a high chance that most Arabs will know the meaning, whether or not they frown upon it is difficult to know... A lot of belly dancers and celebrities/ songs have the name Leila so it can have some very sultry connotations as it is, then when you add the surname, the full name meaning becomes night lifestyle, so this is why I’m a bit concerned. But I don’t know if I’m being over the top about this... I do really like the name despite a gut feeling telling me that it could be a bad idea...

You aren’t being over the top. I am not an Arab (am Indian) and knew the meaning of Layla. For me it’s like Mehbooba - pretty but not a name I would ever pick for my kid.

Could you choose something similar, like Lola, Lyla, Lila, Leia, Leah? Or are there any other names on your list?

It means night and the Arabic pronunciation is Lie-la.
Lyla is even worse!

I like Leila it pronounced Lee-lah.

If your surname is Arabic I'd choose a different name.

Thanks so much for all your advice! Do you have any name suggestions similar to Leila? How would you pronounce Lila? Lie-la or lee-la?

Lie-la. Not keen sorry. It looks too much like lilo.

How about Leilani? It's a girl's name of Hawaiian origin meaning "a heavenly flower".

How keen are you on an arabic first name ?

Names similar to Leila...

Nyla
Kyla/Kayla
Dahlia
Riley
Lina
Lisa
Lyra

My horse is called Lyla (I always thought it meant dark princess/beauty - she is a mahogany colour - and she's a princess!)

Hmmm I’m not so keen on the variations of Leila, I guess I will have to weigh up how much I love the name for what it is on its own vs. how it seems with the surname... surely people can’t be that mean to think badly of a name that means night lifestyle? Ultimately the first name and surname are two separate names and I don’t know if it needs to make sense as a phrase?