FastNamesKayla
Hebrew, Celtic and English name meaning "Modern phonetic creation blending Kay with the suffix -la, or derived from the Yiddish name Kelah / Kayla (from Hebrew Kelila, 'crown of laurel' or 'perfection').". Ranked 364th for girls in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Kayla
Modern phonetic creation blending Kay with the suffix -la, or derived from the Yiddish name Kelah / Kayla (from Hebrew Kelila, 'crown of laurel' or 'perfection').
Linguistically, Kayla is classified under Hebrew, Celtic and English naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "KAY-luh".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Kayla has been given to a total of 346,570 girls. It has also been given to 574 boys.
Peak year: Kayla reached its highest relative share among girls in 1991, when 18,545 babies received the name (9,891 per million births).
All-time best rank: 11th place, first achieved in 1995.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 364th with 838 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 116th (down 248 spots).
Busiest decade: More girls were named Kayla in the 1990s than in any other decade (155,893 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 35 |
| 1940s | 161 |
| 1950s | 700 |
| 1960s | 1,488 |
| 1970s | 1,942 |
| 1980s | 55,291 |
| 1990s | 155,893 |
| 2000s | 94,356 |
| 2010s | 30,289 |
| 2020s | 6,415 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Kayla is most common in the US
Accounting for when Kayla was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- North Dakota: 2.0 times the national rate (1,421 births since 1910).
- West Virginia: 1.8 times the national rate (3,227 births since 1910).
- Wyoming: 1.7 times the national rate (587 births since 1910).
- Hawaii: 1.7 times the national rate (1,541 births since 1910).
- Rhode Island: 1.6 times the national rate (1,600 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Kayla?
About 341,000 living American girls and women share the name Kayla. Additionally, an estimated 560 living American boys and men share the name.
The median age of an American named Kayla is 30 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Kayla
Kayla reflects dual onomastic heritages rooted in Ashkenazi Jewish tradition and modern English phonetic innovation. In Jewish onomastics, Kayla (or Kaila) developed as a traditional Yiddish feminine name derived from the biblical Hebrew Kelila (כְּלִילָה), signifying 'crown', 'diadem', or 'complete perfection', often serving as a sacred vernacular equivalent for Kelilah. Concurrently, in Anglo-American naming traditions, Kayla emerged as a lyrical elaboration of Kay (from Katherine or Arthurian Sir Kay), augmented with the melodic suffix -la.
While historically cherished within Eastern European Jewish communities, Kayla broke into mainstream American popular culture in the early 1980s. A pivotal cultural catalyst occurred with the long-running NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives, which introduced the beloved heroine Kayla Brady in 1982. The character's immense popularity sparked nationwide interest in the name, propelling it into mainstream households across all demographic regions.
In United States Social Security records, Kayla charted one of the fastest rises of any baby name in American history. Unranked in the top one thousand in 1958, it skyrocketed through the charts during the 1980s, entering the national top fifty in 1986 and reaching the top twenty by 1990, where it peaked at rank 11 in 1998 with over 15,000 newborn girls per year. Parents embraced Kayla for its crisp initial consonant, airy double vowels, and vibrant modern cadence.
Notable people named Kayla
- Kayla Harrison (1990–), American two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka and UFC fighter
- Kayla Mueller (1988–2015), American human rights activist and humanitarian aid worker
- Kayla Ewell (1985–), American actress known for The Vampire Diaries
- Kayla McBride (1992–), American WNBA four-time All-Star basketball player
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 156.
- Alexander Beider. A Dictionary of Ashkenazic Given Names (2001).