Kayla
Masculine · Yiddish roots · “not settled”
Kayla is given to girls far more often — 346,570 girls against 574 boys since 1880. See Kayla as a girl name
Kayla is one of the defining girls' names of its generation in America, two light syllables with a bright long a. It has more than one possible source and has never been tied to a single one, which makes it a name that belongs mostly to the people who have carried it.
How old is the name Kayla?
Kayla first appears in US birth records in 1983 — 42 years ago. The typical Kayla alive today was born around 1994, making them about 31 years old. About 600 people named Kayla are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kayla most popular?
Kayla peaked in 1988, reaching #1576 nationally. See the whole 1988 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Kyle / Kayla (Yiddish) / Kay to Kayla
The story of Kayla
Kayla came into American use from several directions at once, and no single story explains why so many families chose it. Once it was familiar it grew a family of spellings of its own. Its best-known bearer in sport is Kayla Harrison, a judoka from Ohio who became the first American, man or woman, to win Olympic gold in judo, and then won it a second time. The name is recorded for a very small number of boys as well, but in practice it is a girl's name.
Meaningscholars disagree
not settled; linked to Kyle and to a Yiddish Kayla
Kayla has two serious roots. One is Kyle, from Scottish Gaelic caol, narrow or slender, with a feminine ending. The other is an older Yiddish woman's name, Kayla or Keyle. Many American families also heard it simply as Kay with -la added. None of these has been shown to be the source.
How the name formed
- Kyle / Kayla / KayYiddish
- Kayla
Related forms: Keyle · Kaila · Kaylah
Pronouncing Kayla
KAY-luh
Two syllables with the stress on the first; the ay is the long a of day.
Nicknames for Kayla
Moderate
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
- 1983
- Most boys named
- 198947 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1576reached in 1988
- Change vs 2018
- 0.0%5 in 2019, from 5
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.
Kayla in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Keyle in Yiddish — related form
- Kaila in English — spelling variant
- Kaylah in English — spelling variant
Kaylas among us
people named Kayla 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
Kayla 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 easy to say and spell, and nearly everyone knows it.
- It sounds warm and friendly.
- It works in many languages without changing.
- It is closely tied to one generation, so a Kayla will often share her name with classmates and co-workers of her age.
- There is no settled meaning to give when someone asks; the honest answer is that it has several possible roots.
- A very few boys have been given it; for them it will read as a girl's name everywhere.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Kayla to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Kayla? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Kayla
Masculine · Yiddish roots
Frequently asked
- How many Kaylas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Kayla are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kayla in 2025?
- Kayla is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Kayla with classmates?
- Kayla will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Kenneth#294 · Kevin#221 · Kyle#508 · Keith#800 · Karl#1585 · Kaleb#295 · Kurt#2258 · Kelly#1867
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kayla? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kayla and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle