Is Lela a boy or girl name?

Lela is primarily a girl name in U.S. records: about 100% of recorded births are female.

What is the average age of someone named Lela?

The average Lela alive today is an estimated 53 years old. People named Lela were most often born around 1949.

When was the name Lela most popular?

Lela peaked in 1921 with 907 recorded births in the United States.

What vibe does the name Lela have?

In one report's words: calico, sun-bleached, soft-spoken. Lela ranks #1216 among all U.S. first names since 1880.

Lela — Name Meaning, Age & Vibe | Understand Your Name

UNDERSTAND YOUR NAME

Origin & Meaning

AI-Written

Likely derived as a spelling variant of the Arabic Leila or the Latin Lelia. Nineteenth-century American parents favored it alongside short, melodic options like Lula and Nola. It found its strongest base across the South and Midwest.

Also answers toLee

Fig. 1 — Births per annum, 1880–2025

SSA Data

1880 peak: 907 souls, A.D. 1921 2025

2025: 76 born, falling ↘

Estimated Age

53 yrs

Most Lelas were born around 1949 — has dialed a rotary phone in earnest.

Peak Reign

1921

№212 that year

Generation

Boomer, 29%

then Silent 19% · Gen Z 17%

Rarity

Top 2000 all-time

≈43K ever born · now falling

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How many Americans share Lela ______?

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Estimates from SSA birth records and standard survival rates. Immigration and name changes not counted.

Lela grew up with

SSA Data

black-and-white TV·hula hoops·Elvis on Ed Sullivan

Generation Distribution — Living Lelas

SSA Data

Silent 19%Boomer 29%Gen X 13%Millennial 10%Gen Z 17%Gen Alpha 13%

Data vs. Humans

What the data says

SSA Data

SSA: Lela peaked in 1921.

Estimated average age: 53.

What people think

Opinion Ledger

Awaiting human data — cast the first votes.

Lela sounds like someone born in —

Fig. 2 — Style Coordinates

AI Seed · Votes Override at n=30

Vintage Modern

Formal Casual

Soft Strong

Cast your vote No account · one tap

In your mind, Lela sounds more like a —

Voting opens when the ledger goes live. No account. 24h cooldown per question.

Public Opinion Ledger

Ledger Opens Soon

The public has not yet weighed in on Lela. Early ballots carry the most weight.

First Impressions

AI-Written

The name reads like something stitched into a quilt square around the First World War. It requires almost no jaw movement to pronounce. In modern company, it is often misread as Lola or misheard as Layla.

Field Notes

AI-Written

Field Note 01

The name hit its peak in 1921, when 907 American newborns received it.

Field Note 02

Nearly half of all living holders belong to the Baby Boom or Silent generations.

Field Note 03

Across more than a century of national records, only about 43,000 girls have shared the name.

Notable Lelas

AI-Written

Lela Rochonactress, b. 1964

Lela Rogersscreenwriter and mother of Ginger Rogers, b. 1891

Lela Blissactress, b. 1896

Adjacent Names

Lula · Nola · Ona · Alta · Iva · Veda · Essie

Ephemera — If Lela were a…

AI-Written

City

Macon, Georgia

Artifact

Hand-cranked ice cream freezer

Color

Unbleached muslin

Occupation

Telegraph operator

And what of your name?