Gaila
Feminine
Gaila is Gail with an -a ending, a soft two-syllable name that sounds like the Hebrew name Gila, which means joy. It is rare and gentle.
How old is the name Gaila?
Gaila first appears in US birth records in 1922 — 103 years ago. The typical Gaila alive today was born around 1955, making them about 70 years old. About 400 people named Gaila are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Gaila most popular?
Gaila peaked in 1954, reaching #1875 nationally. See the whole 1954 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Gaila
In modern Hebrew, Gila is a girl's name that means joy, from the same root as the word for rejoicing, and it is common in Israel. Gaila sounds close to it, though it most likely grew from Gail, the short form of Abigail, with an -a added to make it softer. Whether a family heard joy in it or simply liked the sound, the resemblance is a happy one.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source records the origin of Gaila. It may be Gail, from Abigail, with a feminine ending, and it resembles the Hebrew Gila, joy; no record ties it to either.
Pronouncing Gaila
GAY-luh
Two syllables, stressed on the first. Some say GY-luh.
Nicknames for Gaila
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1922
- Most girls named
- 195431 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1875reached in 1954
- Change vs 1976
- −16.7%5 in 1982, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Gailas among us
people named Gaila are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Gaila sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is soft and easy to say.
- It is almost certainly unique among the people she will meet.
- People will write Gayla or Gala.
- There is no recorded meaning to give when someone asks.
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Gaila
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Gailas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Gaila are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Gaila in 2025?
- Gaila is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Gaila with classmates?
- Gaila will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More G names
The most-given names starting with G, all years combined.
Grace#38 · Gloria#654 · Gladys#3211 · Geraldine#2438 · Gail#8362 · Gertrude#6546 · Georgia#99 · Gina#2076
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Gaila? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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