Ayla
Meaning of Ayla
Ayla has two established origins, and name dictionaries do not agree on a single one. In Turkish it means "moon halo," the ring of light around the moon, and is sometimes given as "moonlight." In Hebrew, Ayla is a feminine name meaning "oak tree." English speakers say it AY-luh, with the first syllable rhyming with "day"; American and British usage are the same.
Its best-known literary association is Ayla, the heroine of Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series, which began with The Clan of the Cave Bear in 1980. Among notable bearers, Ayla Brown is an American singer who reached the top 16 on American Idol in 2006, and Ayla Algan was a Turkish stage and film actress and singer.
In the United States the name was rare for decades, then rose quickly. In 2006 it was given to 1,233 babies, up from 417 the year before, and its rank jumped from 664 to 265. It reached the top 100 for the first time in 2022, at 98. Its strongest showing so far is 2024, when 3,253 newborns placed it 69th; in 2025 it stood at 77th with 3,149 births, still among the hundred most common names for girls.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as AY-luh (/ˈeɪlə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Ayla
| Ayla Marie Brown is an American singer and former NCAA basketball player from Wrentham, Massachusetts, who reached the top 16 on American Idol in 2006 before attending Boston College on a full basketball scholarship and graduating in 2010. |
| Ayla Ågren - Ayla Agren is a Norwegian and Swedish racing driver who formerly competed in the W Series for Norway. |
| Ayla Nereo is an American musician known for her solo work and for performing with Wildlight and Starling Arrow. |
| Ayla Algan was a Turkish film and theater actress and singer. |
