Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Laila

Meaning — A variant spelling of Layla/Leila, from the Arabic root "l-y-l" meaning night. Laila captures the same connotations of nocturnal beauty, mystery, and intoxicating longing that have made this name one of the most celebrated in Arabic and Persian literary tradition, through the endlessly retold love story of Laila and Majnun.·Arabic origin·Female·LAY-lah

Laila Laila shares the deep romantic resonance of Layla — a name suffused with night, longing, and a beauty that becomes a kind of fate for those who encounter it. Characters named Laila often must reckon with the weight of being desired and mythologized, finding their own interiority in a story that others keep trying to tell for them.

Best genres for Laila

RomanceHistorical FictionLiterary FictionContemporary Fiction

Famous characters named Laila

Laila

Layla and Majnun Nizami Ganjavi

The tribal girl whose name and inaccessibility drive the poet Qays to madness — in Sufi interpretation a symbol of the divine beloved that the soul pursues across every barrier.


Variations & nicknames

LailaLaylaLeilaLyla

Pairs well with

Laila Al-HassanLaila MansourLaila KhalilLaila NasserLaila RashidLaila Aziz

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Related names


More Arabic names

Lelah

Lelah is a feminine name, likely a variant of Leila, an Arabic and Persian feminine name from the word layl meaning "night." The name is evocative of dark, mysterious beauty in Arabic and Persian poetic tradition — Leila and Majnun is the great Arab and Persian love story, the Eastern equivalent of Romeo and Juliet.

Ahmed

From the Arabic root "ḥ-m-d" meaning to praise or commend, Ahmed signifies "most praiseworthy" or "most commendable". It is one of the most widespread masculine names in the Islamic world, sharing its root with the name Muhammad, and is considered one of the names of the Prophet in Islamic tradition.

Ibrahim

The Arabic form of Abraham, derived from the Hebrew "Avraham" meaning "father of multitudes" or "exalted father". In Islam, Ibrahim is venerated as a prophet and "friend of God" (Khalilullah), and his story of faith and sacrifice forms a central pillar of Islamic theology.

Hafsa

From the Arabic root "ḥ-f-ẓ" meaning to protect, guard, or preserve — though Hafsa is also associated with the young female lion cub in classical Arabic. Hafsa bint Umar was a wife of the Prophet Muhammad, the daughter of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, and the keeper of the first written compilation of the Quran.

Musa

The Arabic form of Moses, from the Hebrew "Moshe" — possibly derived from the Egyptian "msi" meaning "born of" or "son of", though the Hebrew text provides a folk etymology from the root "msh" meaning to draw out (from water). In Islam, Musa is the prophet who receives the Torah (Tawrat) from God on Mount Sinai and is considered the prophet most frequently mentioned in the Quran.

Khadija

From an Arabic root associated with premature birth, Khadija is traditionally interpreted as meaning "early baby" or "premature child", though in practice the name is associated entirely with honour and strength. Khadija bint Khuwaylid was the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad, a successful merchant, and the first person to accept Islam, making her one of the most revered women in Islamic history.


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