Rayla

Meaning of Rayla

Rayla threads several linguistic tapestries into a single, bright strand: in Arabic it echoes the desert night cadence of RAH-lah, in Hebrew it lilts to rah-YLAH, and in English it settles into the clear, bell-like RAY-lah. Scholars often trace its root to the Persian “ray,” meaning wisdom or a guiding light—the same ancient word that gave the storied city of Rey its name—while the suffix “-la” softens the ending, turning the beam into something melodic. Culturally, Rayla wears many cloaks: it can feel like a modern cousin to Layla, suggest the regal brevity of Ray, or nod to the adventurous elf-knight of contemporary fantasy. In the United States, the name has maintained a steady, ember-like glow since the 1960s, flickering between ranks 700 and 900 before inching upward in the 2020s; 2024 saw 113 newborns bearing it, enough to place Rayla just outside the national top 800. For parents, it offers a concise, cross-cultural choice—bright as dawn, yet uncommon enough to keep its shimmer.