Leela

“Play, or divine play” — Sanskrit origin

Girl's name · #1282 in the US (2025) · 2010s

Leela reached #1088 in 2013 and has eased to #1282 since. About 4,500 girls have carried it since 1898. Together with its spelling variant Lela (#2374), Leela would rank around #1003 with about 250 births last year — the newborns split about 70/30 between Leela and Lela.

Around the world: about 1 in 5,000 girls in England & Wales (2025) · about 1 in 11,000 girls in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 17,000 girls in Switzerland (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 18 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Leelas

Leela Chitnis — Indian actress (1909-2003)
Leela Majumdar — Indian author of children's books (1908–2007)
Leela Naidu — Indian actress (1940–2009)
Leela Roy — Indian independence activist and politician
Leela Mishra — Indian actress

In stories & tradition

Leela — Futurama · Möbius Dick

What Leelas become

Among 54 notable people named Leela:

Entertainers appear 2.03× more often than among typical names — e.g. Leela Chitnis, Indian actress (1909-2003).

Similar names: Aanya · Leilah · Keyla · Sahana · Nala · Riya

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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