Twilla
Feminine
The twi in twilight is the word two, and nobody has ever settled why. Between two lights, half light, doubly light: the explanations are all plausible and none is provable, which is unusual for a word this common and this old.
How old is the name Twilla?
Twilla first appears in US birth records in 1913 — 112 years ago. The typical Twilla alive today was born around 1952, making them about 73 years old. About 800 people named Twilla are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Twilla most popular?
Twilla peaked in 1948, reaching #1548 nationally. See the whole 1948 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Twilla
The prefix is the same one in twin, twice, twill, between and twine, and in every one of those the sense of two is clear. In twilight it is not. Some scholars read it as the light between day and night; some as half-light, on the pattern of other words where twi means half rather than double; and some as a reference to the two twilights, morning and evening, which is how the word was often used before it settled on the evening one. Old English had a separate word for each end of the day and English has lost both. What is left is a common word whose parts are perfectly visible and whose sense cannot be derived from them, which is a good demonstration that etymology explains less than people expect.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name is usually connected to twilight and cannot be shown to come from it. Other possibilities include a build on Willa with an added consonant, and a coinage with no source at all. Since the name appears in American records without explanation, the honest answer is that the resemblance is suggestive and not evidence.
Pronouncing Twilla
TWIL-uh
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The doubled l keeps the first vowel short, which is the one job doubled consonants reliably do in English; a single l would leave it open.
Nicknames for Twilla
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
- 1913
- Most girls named
- 194836 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1548reached in 1948
- Change vs 1982
- −37.5%5 in 1994, from 8
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.
Twillas among us
people named Twilla 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
Twilla 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
- Short, soft and easy to say, with nothing silent or ambiguous in it.
- Willa is a complete, current name sitting in the back half.
- It is genuinely uncommon while containing no unfamiliar sound.
- Twila is the commoner spelling and this one will be corrected.
- The connection to twilight will be asserted confidently by people who have not checked it.
- There is no meaning to give a child who asks.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Twilla 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 Twilla? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Twilla
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Twillas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Twilla are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Twilla in 2025?
- Twilla is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Twilla with classmates?
- Twilla will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More T names
The most-given names starting with T, all years combined.
Teresa#908 · Theresa#1548 · Tiffany#878 · Tammy#3645 · Taylor#403 · Tina#2778 · Tracy#2153 · Thelma#4661
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Twilla? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Twilla 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