Kayla

Kayla is a modern coinage and largely an American invention. The names Kayla, Kaylee, Kyla and Kylie are of such recent origin that it’s difficult to determine their true etymological sources for certain (particularly since they tend to occur in so many different spelling variations). For instance, Kayla could be considered a phonetically shortened version of the name Michaela (also: Makayla), the female form of the Hebrew name Michael which means "Who resembles God?” Perhaps Kayla was originally derived from the Yiddish “Kaila” from the Hebrew “kelila” meaning “crown of laurel” (a headpiece awarded for great academic, athletic or military achievements in ancient Greek and Rome). Then again, maybe Kayla was inspired by Irish-Gaelic female names such as Keelin or Keela (meaning slender and beautiful). Most likely, however, is that Kayla is merely the simple combination of attractive syllables; in this case, “Kay” + “-la”. The name essentially owes her popularity to a fictional soap-opera character named Kayla Brady from Days of Our Lives (during the 1980s). As a name for baby girls, Kayla has persisted in popularity for the past 30 years and has since spread to all other English-speaking nations. It’s currently most popular in Ireland, followed by Scotland, Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, the United States and England.