What Does the Name Lila Mean?

Lila is a girl's name of Arabic / Persian / Sanskrit (multiple sources) origin meaning “Arabic/Persian: 'night' (from Layla); Sanskrit: 'divine play' (līlā).”

Updated June 2026

Name	Lila
Gender	female
Origin	Arabic / Persian / Sanskrit (multiple sources)
Meaning	Arabic/Persian: 'night' (from Layla); Sanskrit: 'divine play' (līlā)
Variants	Layla, Leila, Lyla, Lilah
Popularity	A fashionable vintage-revival name in the U.S., comfortably within the top 200.

The meaning and origin of Lila

The name Lila means “Arabic/Persian: 'night' (from Layla); Sanskrit: 'divine play' (līlā)” and has Arabic / Persian / Sanskrit (multiple sources) origins. Lila is a multi-origin name: it can be a variant of the Arabic Layla ('night'), a form of Persian/Arabic Leila, or the Sanskrit concept 'līlā' ('divine play, sport'). In English it sometimes also functions as a short form of Lillian/Delilah.

Variants and related names

Lila is related to several other names you may recognize: Layla, Leila, Lyla, Lilah. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Lila?

A fashionable vintage-revival name in the U.S., comfortably within the top 200.

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