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The short answer
Lila is recorded by Behind the Name as two distinct names sharing a spelling. The primary, Hindi-usage entry gives it as meaning "play, amusement" in Sanskrit, from the root līlā. A separate English entry treats Lila as a variant of Leila or a short form of Delilah — the same dual origin recorded for the related name Lilah. The two are unconnected traditions rather than one name with two meanings. It is pronounced LEE-lə in the Sanskrit-origin use or LY-lə in the English use. In the United States, Lila ranked #187 among girls' names in 2025 (Social Security Administration).
Meaning and etymology
Behind the Name lists Lila as a 'multiple entries' name. The primary, Hindi entry gives the meaning directly: "play, amusement" in Sanskrit, from the root līlā, with Leela as a variant used in several South Indian languages. A second, English entry describes Lila as "a variant of Leila or a short form of Delilah," mirroring the same dual English possibility documented for the closely related spelling Lilah.
Editorial confidence: established
Linguistic roots
| Language | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sanskrit | līlā | play, amusement |
Competing or overlapping origins
- Behind the Name also records a separate English-usage entry for Lila, described as either a variant of Leila or a short form of Delilah ("delicate, weak, languishing" in Hebrew) — an unrelated tradition to the Sanskrit-derived Hindi name of the same spelling.
Popularity
Lila ranked #187 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, according to db/list-batch.mjs's SSA 2025 figures. The cached Behind the Name snapshot for the same year shows a close but not identical rank of #186; a reviewer should reconcile the two before publication.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #187 | ssa-2025 |
Nicknames, variants, and related names
Nicknames: None documented.
Variants: Leela, Lilah, Layla, Leila
Related names: Delilah, Leila, Lilah
What the name feels like
Lila is short, soft and easy to say in nearly any language background, which likely helps explain why two unrelated naming traditions converged on the same spelling.
Style tags: two syllables, soft sound, cross-cultural, modern favorite
Editorial interpretation: This style read is editorial opinion. Behind the Name documents the two separate word origins; it does not comment on style.
If you like this name
Other short South Asian names with a similar sound, or the Layla/Leila/Delilah cluster that shares Lila's English-usage spelling.
Similar by origin
- Leela
- Mira
- Kavya
Similar by sound
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Lila mean?
Behind the Name records two separate names spelled Lila: a Hindi name from Sanskrit līlā, meaning "play, amusement," and a distinct English name treated as a variant of Leila or a short form of Delilah.
Is Lila the same as Lilah?
The English-usage Lila entry describes the same dual possibility (variant of Leila, or short form of Delilah) that Behind the Name records for Lilah, so the two are closely related in that tradition; the separate Sanskrit-origin Lila is unrelated.
Is Lila a popular name?
Yes. Lila ranked #187 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Lila (1) — supports etymology, variants.
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Lila (2) — supports competingOrigins, pronunciation.
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity.
