Leila?

[Nell96]

Opinions on Leila? Pronounced Layla, but much prefer Leila as a spelling. DH loves the name. I like it, but have reservations...

Is it too popular? Do you know any?

Will it just get mixed up with Lola, Lila, Lyra, Luna etc.?

Is it a bit too girly / frilly? Ideally, I'd prefer something a bit stronger sounding.

It's my favourite name in the world I love it! I prefer the spelling Layla but Leila is just as beautiful and I don't think it will get mixed up or lost with any of those names. I also dont think its too frilly.

I don’t like names like this where the spelling is so ambiguous. I don’t dislike the name but there are so many permutations and that can make it stressful speaking to someone when you may get it wrong. I would pronounce your spelling Lee-la.

I like it. I have the same reservations as you though: it's quite popular, and there are a lot of similar sounding names, a little on the frilly side and I prefer stronger sounding names. That said, there's nothing wrong with it, and I like the Leila spelling too.

If it doesn't grow on you don't use it just because your DH loves it. Suggest that you use something you love ... and wait to see if it grow on him!

'grows on'

I like it, I prefer the sp. Layla, just because, it’s written as it’s pronounced, if I saw the name sp. as Leila, I wouldn’t assume the name was pronounced Layla. I would think Lee la or Lie la.

I had a friend who was called Layla, she was absolutely lovely, probably in her mid 40’s now. Sadly we lost touch.

Perhaps a little old fashioned, popular due to the Eric Clapton song Layla in 70’s of course.

Good luck OP.

I knew a Leila, it's a nice name.
Spell it how you want to ☺️

I like the name, but would definitely pronounce it Lie-la. (I’ve known a Leila who pronounces it this way for 40 years). I’ve never come across the way you want to pronounce it.

I'd pronounce it Lee-la

If I saw the spelling Leila, I would think it was maybe an Indian or Arabic name. I've met several women with that name that spelling all Arabic/ Persian linguistic heritage. I've never heard anyone pronounce that Lee-la.
Layla, spelled like that, is a popular name in Scotland at least it seems so to me.
I love the name and the Clapton song is an anthem without having any dodgy lyrics to worry about.

Love it. I knew a fantastic Leila once.

Family member and friend, both Leila. Pronounced Lee-la. If you want a specific pronunciation, spell it accordingly.

I like it a lot and like it spelled Leila too. It's pretty but not frilly. I do know three aged under 5 though (all with the Layla spelling).

I like it, I will be considering it for ours, with the view that it's an Arabic name. However I know it's popular with people of all cultural backgrounds. I prefer the Layla spelling personally but I'd still pronounce your spelling the same.

The arabic name is Laila - rhymes with Isla. I know a Leila and she says it as Leela. I don't like the Layla, Lila and Lyla spellings.

Definitely best spelt Leila, which is usually pronounced Layla as you say - but yes - I think it does muddle up with the endless Lola, Lara, Lyra, Lilas, Lucys and Lilys plus you will be forever correcting either spelling or pronunciation or both (as you can see from above) so I would try and find something else if you can.

If you want an L name how about Lois - underused and stands out more, or Stella, Estella, Christa, Adela, Fernanda, Cassia if you want an A ending

I’ve been having exactly the same thoughts - love the name and would definitely spell it Leila, but do worry it’s too similar to so many other popular ‘l’ names that end in ‘a’

Leila is pretty, and I prefer this more traditional spelling too. I think most people would assume it's pronounced Layla unless told otherwise.

I see it as a different sort of name to the more trendy Lyra, Luna, Lola etc, so I wouldn't get them confused. It's probably closer to Lilah or Lara for me, but not quite as classic as traditional Laura.

Hmm, I think between the many spellings of lee la, lie la, lay la and all the similar names such as lyra, lana, luna, lola, lara etc it's going to lead to a lot of confusion in life.

How could you mix up Leila with Lana, Luna or Lola? That's like confusing Jane with Jenny, Julie or Jodie.

@SeanChailleach

How could you mix up Leila with Lana, Luna or Lola? That's like confusing Jane with Jenny, Julie or Jodie.

Mix up is probably the wrong word- what I mean is will it just merge into all of the other countless names beginning with L and ending with A? There are an awful lot of them around at the moment and I wonder whether choosing something a bit more different / interesting might be a better way to go.

It’s a beautiful Persian name this is the story behind it en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layla_and_Majnun

A stunning poem. Laila and Layla seem the spellings most used.

It’s a pretty name and I only know one (who is 8) but spelt Layla.

It’s not a ‘strong’ name but I quite like ‘girly’ names.

It's pretty popular here - I know 4 under 10.

2 Layla's, 1 Laila and 1 Lejla.

I prefer Layla because there's no chance of mispronounciation, people always ask how to pronounce my name or just say it wrong so this is a hang up of mine!

The Persian name is actually pronounced 'Lay-lee', not 'Layla'. Not sure why Wiki have written it as Layla as that's not the Persian name.

@meadowhay do you speak and read Persian?
Can you tell us what forms are used where? My Arabic is very basic but am I right the spelling doesn't specify the final vowel?
Both Leila and Leili are widely used - it's not only Wikipedia.