Total births
43,005
Girls' name · since 1880
Lela
43,005 babies named Lela in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2203
- among girls today
- 43,005
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Lela is the #2203 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 43,005 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lela has been recorded 43,005 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #2203 nationally and more common than 88% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2203 among girls today
- 43,005 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 88% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Lela is currently the #2203 girls' name in America, more common than 88% of girls - 43,005 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2203
- among girls today
- 43,005
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other girls
Lela vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2203
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 88% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Lela was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
907 babies were named Lela in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Lela compares
43,005 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Lela's all-time total is 113x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lela | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 43,005 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 907 | 48 | 19,840 |
Lela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Lela's full recorded timeline at 1953, 21% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 79% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1994, with just 52 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 907 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Lela at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1921
Current rank
#2,203
Active since
1880
Lela popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 907
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Lela popularity over time - boys
68 total births recorded since 1886 (Lela as boys' name)
Lela by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Lela's strongest decade.
7,840 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Lela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,915
1880s
1,915 births
- 1890s
1890s
3,892 births
- 1900s
1900s
4,473 births
- 1910s
1910s
7,007 births
- 1920s
1920s
7,840 births
- 1930s
1930s
4,619 births
- 1940s
1940s
3,362 births
- 1950s 2,382
1950s
2,382 births
- 1960s 1,478
1960s
1,478 births
- 1970s 1,068
1970s
1,068 births
- 1980s 864
1980s
864 births
- 1990s 687
1990s
687 births
- 2000s 1,380
2000s
1,380 births
- 2010s 1,467
2010s
1,467 births
- 2020s 571
2020s
571 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 7,840 births (18% of all-time use).
How Lela compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Lela's total volume
Lela vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Lela by state
Where Lela concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 3,304 | 7.7% |
| #2 | Alabama | | 1,875 | 4.4% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 1,706 | 4.0% |
| #4 | Mississippi | | 1,673 | 3.9% |
| #5 | Tennessee | | 1,592 | 3.7% |
| #6 | Oklahoma | | 1,466 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 1,446 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 1,398 | 3.3% |
Texas share of Lela's total US births 7.7%
Even split
3,304 of 43,005 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 42 reporting states.
Lela appears in 42 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lela? ▼
43,005 babies have been named Lela since 1880. It currently ranks #2203 among girls. The peak year was 1921 with 907 births.
When was Lela most popular? ▼
Lela was most popular in the 1920s decade with 7,840 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Lela most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Lela are Texas (3,304 births), Alabama (1,875 births), North Carolina (1,706 births).
How long has the name Lela been used? ▼
Records for Lela go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Lela? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lelia, Lelah, Lelani, Lella, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Lela's data
- Lela's decade-level peak was the 1920s (7,840 total births); usage has since declined to 571 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Lelas (3,304 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lela
Nearby Names Like Lela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lela
Lelia Girl
#5615 15,645 births
Lelah Girl
#10286 2,187 births
Lelani Girl
#3141 1,010 births
Lella Girl
864 births
Lelar Girl
629 births
Compare Lela side by side: Lela vs Lelia Lela vs Lelah Lela vs Lelani
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lela
Riverlynn #2202
845 births · Peak 2022
Mona #2204
45,787 births · Peak 1957
Klarity #2201
567 births · Peak 2025
Doris #2205
462,548 births · Peak 1928
Zaveah #2200
265 births · Peak 2024
Maryann #2206
62,953 births · Peak 1943
Vamika #2199
348 births · Peak 2025
Malina #2207
4,452 births · Peak 2009
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Lela: #2203 Girls' Name - 43,005 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/lela. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Lela draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.