Leyla

Leyla is a variant spelling of Leila and used primarily among Turks, Azerbaijanis and other ethnicities around the South Caucasus region. Leyla is an Arabic female name from “Leila/Layla” meaning “night, nocturnal” (ليلى). Arabs would often bestow this name on their daughters in the convention of describing the quality or character of the baby; as such it has come to mean “dark beauty” or “one who was born at night.” Leila, Leyla, and various other spellings have been in use since the Middle Ages, sometimes inspired by the true Arabian legend of “Qays and Layla” – a story of unrequited love. According to the story, two young virgins (Qays and Layla) fall truly, madly, deeply in love; so much so they were barely able to privately contain their affection. This caused quite the scandal in their community, and so Quys and Layla were eventually forbidden to see each other. Distraught and desperately love-sick, Qays fled the tribe, wandered in the wilderness chanting love poems about his darling Layla, and eventually descended into madness before finally succumbing to death. Originally an Arab/Muslim name, Leila (and its variants such as Layla and Leyla) has acquired currency in both the English-speaking world and the Nordic nations in particular. Eric Clapton had a lot to do with this thanks to his famous song “Layla” (inspired by the same Arabian tale). It’s an absolutely gorgeous name no matter how you decide to spell it.