Lela

#2,368 for girls in 2025, 76 births · Last seen for boys in 1938 at #3,175
Given to girls 99.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1896 · 425 births
Debut · girls
106 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
43,005
since 1880

Lela over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Lela has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201923peak #113, 1896girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2,36876
2024#2,20386
2023#2,14289
2022#1,961100
2021#1,816111
2020#1,808109
2019#1,763116
2018#1,554139
2017#1,545142
2016#1,512150
2015#1,526147
2014#1,471152
2013#1,440156
2012#1,322178
2011#1,540142
2010#1,536145
2009#1,444161
2008#1,486157
2007#1,370176
2006#1,462152
2005#1,471143
2004#1,498134
2003#1,579122
2002#1,720106
2001#1,641111
2000#1,533118
1999#1,73892
1998#2,24463
1997#2,17463
1996#1,89876
1995#2,30957
1994#2,43252
1993#1,94272
1992#2,31856
1991#1,77980
1990#1,86276
1989#1,92567
1988#1,86366
1987#1,51984
1986#1,58875
1985#1,37394
1984#1,34390
1983#1,220104
1982#1,34592
1981#1,193110
1980#1,47482
1979#1,226106
1978#1,194105
1977#1,206101
1976#1,21693
1975#1,30185
1974#1,143101
1973#947127
1972#1,079106
1971#1,074112
1970#961132
1969#1,066106
1968#893133
1967#1,011103
1966#897126
1965#819147
1964#811166
1963#801168
1962#814165
1961#744195
1960#786169
1959#696207
1958#673216
1957#684209
1956#620238
1955#588244
1954#562250
1953#555248
1952#514270
1951#550234
1950#493266
1949#417356
1948#444323
1947#455323
1946#445301
1945#394326
1944#390328
1943#392344
1942#365371
1941#348355
1940#352335
1939#333359
1938#320384#3,1756
1937#302418
1936#301407
1935#290427
1934#284466#3,6795
1933#273510#3,2686
1932#275504
1931#259558
1930#259586#4,0015
1929#252631#3,9595
1928#243659#3,6976
1927#250682#4,2105
1926#244721
1925#228818
1924#223863
1923#226816#3,8226
1922#220865#3,5327
1921#212907
1920#218878
1919#207898#3,7366
1918#209896#3,7286
1917#212828
1916#199888
1915#213774
1914#202647
1913#188595
1912#184523
1911#162489
1910#161469
1909#161414
1908#161411
1907#144453
1906#137447
1905#134465
1904#135431
1903#133420
1902#125459
1901#117443
1900#122530
1899#116417
1898#115459
1897#116438
1896#113425
1895#121388
1894#113413
1893#120358
1892#124353
1891#117337
1890#127304
1889#133268
1888#126292
1887#131207
1886#122230#9595
1885#139168
1884#119213
1883#126163
1882#126143
1881#127125
1880#141106
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Lela was already there! It came in at #141, and was given to 106 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1992–1998, when fewer than 77 girls a year got the name.

See more about Lela
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 165 spots since 2024 (#2,203#2,368)
  • 560 spots since 2020 (#1,808#2,368)
  • 842 spots since 2015 (#1,526#2,368)
  • Biggest jump: 132 spots in 1973 (#1,079#947)
  • Biggest drop: 196 spots in 1974 (#947#1,143)
Rise & fade · girls
16 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1896 at #113 (425 births)
  • Births halved by 1957, 61 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 90 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 90 yrs · run 1880–1966
Share of babies · girls
1 in 535
  • Highest: 1 in 535 girls born in 1897 were named Lela (0.19%)
  • Latest: 1 in 21,148 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #113 in 1896, was only 1 in 560 (0.18%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 18.2% of all girls named Lela (7,840) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,915#119 (1884)#129
1890s3,892#113 (1896)#118
1900s4,473#117 (1901)#137
1910s7,007#161 (1910)#194
1920s7,840#212 (1921)#232
1930s4,619#259 (1930)#290
1940s3,362#348 (1941)#400
1950s2,382#493 (1950)#594
1960s1,478#744 (1961)#864
1970s1,068#947 (1973)#1,135
1980s864#1,193 (1981)#1,484
1990s687#1,738 (1999)#2,070
2000s1,380#1,370 (2007)#1,520
2010s1,467#1,322 (2012)#1,521
2020s571#1,808 (2020)#2,050

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Lela in 1923

girls
#226
816 births · 1 in 1,478 girls
boys
#3,822
6 births · 1 in 182,684 boys

Top girls' names in 1923

  1. #1Mary71,634
  2. #2Dorothy39,043
  3. #3Helen31,486
  4. #4Margaret26,134
  5. #5Betty25,989
  6. #6Ruth23,637
  7. #7Virginia18,325
  8. #8Mildred15,989
  9. #9Elizabeth15,459
  10. #10Frances14,881
  11. #226Lela816

Top boys' names in 1923

  1. #1John57,467
  2. #2Robert56,111
  3. #3William52,136
  4. #4James50,462
  5. #5Charles28,966
  6. #6George27,025
  7. #7Joseph25,561
  8. #8Edward20,597
  9. #9Richard18,887
  10. #10Donald16,433
  11. #3,822Lela6
More about 1923

girls

1,206,366 girls got a published name in 1923; 1 in 1,478 of them was named Lela, which outranked 96.1% of the 5,739 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lela
  1. #223Yvonne843
  2. #224Ollie830
  3. #225Luella821
  4. #226Lela816
  5. #227Priscilla811
  6. #227Susan811
  7. #229Jewell802
Biggest movers since 1922
Risers
  1. 1,834Eris#2,291#457
  2. 619Penny#1,508#889
  3. 317Laurene#1,309#992
  4. 310Cruz#1,103#793
  5. 306Dorene#1,207#901
Fallers
  1. 321Veva#962#1,283
  2. 318Arlie#949#1,267
  3. 305Gaynell#978#1,283
  4. 303Trinidad#449#752
  5. 300Laurine#897#1,197

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,096,102 boys got a published name in 1923; 1 in 182,684 of them was named Lela, which outranked 22.1% of the 4,904 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lela
  1. #3,467Winfrey7
  2. #3,467Wolcott7
  3. #3,467Zygmunt7
  4. #3,822Lela6
  5. #3,822Abb6
  6. #3,822Able6
  7. #3,822Adams6
  8. #4,239Abdon5
  9. #4,239Ac5
  10. #4,239Add5

Tied with 416 names at #3,822; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1922
Risers
  1. 403Marcos#1,333#930
  2. 341Armin#1,333#992
  3. 309Betty#1,222#913
  4. 309Godfrey#1,222#913
  5. 308Val#1,181#873
Fallers
  1. 1,021Harden#999#2,020
  2. 472Buel#850#1,322
  3. 420Trinidad#485#905
  4. 304Gorden#722#1,026
  5. 288Joy#840#1,128

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1923