Spelling comparison
Lyla vs Lilah
2025 US records for these exact spellings: Lyla 3,089 and Lilah 1,736. Lyla’s share of that pair is 64.0%. The multiple is about 1.8 times the published count of Lilah.
US national data through 2025 · Source retrieved
Data updated
The two spellings share a Little Names spelling key. Lyla profile · Lilah profile
Lyla and Lilah name the same child-name in two spellings. The tables below never merge those rows into a single total. Lilah is the longer of the two spellings, and Lyla is the shorter. Lyla uses “yla” where Lilah uses “ilah”, after “L”.
In years when both spellings were published, the lead changed 25 times. The latest crossover is 1997, when Lyla moved ahead of Lilah on the combined published count (34 to 30).
Lyla is first published in these national files in 1884, and Lilah in 1884. Lyla’s larger 2025 category is female. Lilah’s larger 2025 category is female. Lilah led 2 decades and Lyla led 13 decades among decades in which both spellings have a published total.
Inside 2016–2025, the widest combined gap was 1,353 records in 2025, and the closest year was 2020 (a gap of 1,049). Of the combined 2025 records for this pair (4,825), Lyla is 64.0% and Lilah is 36.0%.
2016–2025, count and rank
Lyla was the higher published spelling in 2016, with 2,224 female records (rank #138) against 1,093 female records (rank #299) for Lilah. The 2017 national file shows Lyla led 2017 by 1,092 published records (2,269 to 1,177). Read as exact spellings: Lyla had 2,269 female records (rank #131); Lilah had 1,177 female records (rank #272). 2018: Lyla led 2018 by 1,151 published records (2,306 to 1,155). Lyla and Lilah stay separate rows; 2,306 and 1,155 are not a combined baby-name total. In 2019, Lyla had 2,449 female records (rank #121); Lilah had 1,153 female records (rank #288). Lyla led 2019 by 1,296 published records (2,449 to 1,153). 2020 belongs to Lyla. Lyla had 2,307 female records (rank #118); Lilah had 1,258 female records (rank #240). The gap that year was 1,049 records. For 2021, compare the categories separately: Lyla had 2,521 female records (rank #110) and 5 male records (rank #13,332); Lilah had 1,250 female records (rank #244). Lyla led 2021 by 1,276 published records (2,526 to 1,250), and the smaller spelling is Lilah. Lyla was the higher published spelling in 2022, with 2,665 female records (rank #105) against 1,364 female records (rank #220) for Lilah. The 2023 national file shows Lyla led 2023 by 1,156 published records (2,659 to 1,503). Read as exact spellings: Lyla had 2,659 female records (rank #99); Lilah had 1,503 female records (rank #198). 2024: Lyla led 2024 by 1,264 published records (2,954 to 1,690). Lyla and Lilah stay separate rows; 2,954 and 1,690 are not a combined baby-name total. In 2025, Lyla had 3,089 female records (rank #80); Lilah had 1,736 female records (rank #179). Lyla led 2025 by 1,353 published records (3,089 to 1,736).
| Year | Lyla female count | Lyla female rank | Lyla male count | Lyla male rank | Lilah female count | Lilah female rank | Lilah male count | Lilah male rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2,224 | 138 | — | — | 1,093 | 299 | — | — |
| 2017 | 2,269 | 131 | — | — | 1,177 | 272 | — | — |
| 2018 | 2,306 | 128 | — | — | 1,155 | 287 | — | — |
| 2019 | 2,449 | 121 | — | — | 1,153 | 288 | — | — |
| 2020 | 2,307 | 118 | — | — | 1,258 | 240 | — | — |
| 2021 | 2,521 | 110 | 5 | 13,332 | 1,250 | 244 | — | — |
| 2022 | 2,665 | 105 | — | — | 1,364 | 220 | — | — |
| 2023 | 2,659 | 99 | — | — | 1,503 | 198 | — | — |
| 2024 | 2,954 | 83 | — | — | 1,690 | 179 | — | — |
| 2025 | 3,089 | 80 | — | — | 1,736 | 179 | — | — |
Combined counts, 1880–2025
Each line adds the published female and male counts for that spelling. A gap is a year with no published observation, not a zero. Lyla is the warm line and Lilah is the cool line.
Which spelling led each decade
Lilah was the 1880s leader, 32 published records against 18 for Lyla. The 1890s files give 109 published records to Lyla and 125 to Lilah, so Lilah led the decade. Lyla was the 1900s leader, 124 published records against 120 for Lilah. The 1910s files give 427 published records to Lyla and 254 to Lilah, so Lyla led the decade. Lyla was the 1920s leader, 856 published records against 284 for Lilah. The 1930s files give 634 published records to Lyla and 146 to Lilah, so Lyla led the decade. Lyla was the 1940s leader, 609 published records against 102 for Lilah. The 1950s files give 441 published records to Lyla and 74 to Lilah, so Lyla led the decade. Lyla was the 1960s leader, 210 published records against 60 for Lilah. The 1970s files give 190 published records to Lyla and 121 to Lilah, so Lyla led the decade. Lyla was the 1980s leader, 215 published records against 148 for Lilah. The 1990s files give 376 published records to Lyla and 271 to Lilah, so Lyla led the decade. Lyla was the 2000s leader, 5,969 published records against 3,374 for Lilah. The 2010s files give 22,921 published records to Lyla and 10,752 to Lilah, so Lyla led the decade. Lyla was the 2020s leader, 16,200 published records against 8,801 for Lilah.
Top states in 2025
Lyla’s highest 2025 state counts, combining published female and male rows where both exist, are Texas (311), California (288), Florida (180), New York (157), Georgia (117). Lilah’s highest 2025 state counts, combining published female and male rows where both exist, are California (164), Texas (130), Florida (94), New York (86), Ohio (74). Texas, California, Florida are in the top states for both spellings. A state can rank differently for each spelling because the counts are not merged.