Names like Lila
Lila is a two-syllable Arabic name that ends on a vowel. Each list below follows one of those threads on its own, so you can see exactly what the names share.
The same sound
Two syllables, ending the same way as Lila.
Layla Arabic · "night," from the Arabic layl; the beloved of the seventh-century romance of Layla and Majnun, an impossible love retold for centuries in Arabic and Persian verse and, much later, in Western song. Lush, lyrical, easy everywhere
Lela Arabic · variant of Leila, night
Lola Spanish · pet form of Dolores, "sorrows"
Ella English · brought to England by the Normans, traditionally from a Germanic root meaning "other"; for centuries also a short form of Eleanor, Ellen, and Isabella. Standalone since the Victorian era and revived worldwide on the strength of two easy syllables
The same roots
Also Arabic names, from the tradition Lila comes from.
Nayla Arabic · traditionally 'one who attains/acquires'
Najla Arabic · wide-eyed, dark-eyed beauty
Lina Arabic · tender, delicate
Yara Arabic · small butterfly (a name whose meaning is debated across sources, but that has become a fast-rising crossover favorite)
The same feel
Also classic and modern names.
Ava Latin · traditionally linked to avis, "bird," though its root is debated: medieval Avas may have carried a Germanic name or a form of Eve, "life." Borne by a ninth-century saint and by the first named woman poet in German, and reborn as a sleek modern favorite
Lana Slavic · short form of Alana/Svetlana
Keira Irish · variant of Ciara, 'dark-haired'; popularized by actress Keira Knightley
Emilia Latin · traditionally "rival," from the Roman family name Aemilius; immortalized by Shakespeare's truth-telling Emilia of Othello
Names of the same moment
Each of these is at its highest in the 2010s, the same decade as Lila, on a similar curve.
Nola Irish · short form of Fionnuala, 'white shoulder'
Nella Italian · short form of names like Antonella or Petronella, or a diminutive of Eleanor
Vada English · of disputed origin, often linked to Wade ('river crossing'); popularized by the 1991 film My Girl
Eva Hebrew · "life," the Latin form of Eve, from the Hebrew Chava; the spelling most of Europe uses, from Spain to Scandinavia to the Slavic world, and a quiet constant in America for over a century. Two syllables of pure vintage warmth
Which of these fits YOUR family? →