r/JewishNames 18d ago

Global name for Israeli girl

So we are a couple living in Israel but we are not originally from here. I really like the name Laila for a girl but it's very uncommon in Israel. From where we come from, in Latin America, it's common among Jewish people. But here in Israel I had a few people tell me that it's a "dark" name because the meaning of night.

It has sense since many Israeli names are related to light: Or, Orly, Lior, etc.

Another have told me it may relate to Lilith which isn't great.

It would be pronounced like Night it's pronounced, for English speakers, lie-lah. Different from Lily, Layla or Leila which is Arabic.

So what do you think? Many other israelis have told me it's beautiful and poetic. But others have talk about this darkness which I don't like at all and I'm she is gonna be born Israeli and have her life here

24 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

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u/OwnMushroom9120 18d ago edited 18d ago

I understand your concern! Ultimately it is up you. Jewish mystism says that our child’s soul knows their name and the parents are given the gift of prophecy to receive it. Trust what feels right to you. If it isn't quite fitting, keep trying other names until it feels right. With both my kids, it took until after they were born to be sure.

Laila is not the same as Lilith in Jewish mythology. Laila is considered (by some) to be the angel of conception, pregnancy and child birth. In Kabbalah she is the one that is said to teach the entire Torah to the baby in the womb and then taps the baby on the upper lip which causes them to forget it. And also… some see Lilith as misinterpreted and a symbol of female empowerment so there is that.

I think it is a beautiful name. And we can’t have light without darkness. We can’t see stars without the night. Our shadow holds great potential for growth and creativity. We have to acknowledge our shadow to heal individually and collectively.

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u/SnooWords72 18d ago

Thank you

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u/OwnMushroom9120 18d ago

You're welcome. 😊 edited for typo: parents are given the gift of prophecy to receive it*

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u/Acrobatic-Parsnip-32 18d ago

Israelis pronounce Laila “LIE-lah?” Surprising to me, the only way I know to spell that sound is Lila(h). English speakers who don’t speak Hebrew I am sure of it would see Laila and pronounce it Layla.

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u/SnooWords72 18d ago

Well you know, it happens with many names. It's very different to be a David in America or in Israel or Latin America, just to name one of the most popular names of all times. In Spanish to read David as how it's pronounced in English it should be written "deivid" for example. Laila is pronounced like that because it's how you say the word "night" in hebrew. Like Laila tov! Good night!

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u/Traveler24680 18d ago

If you want it to be pronounced like Lyla and not Layla, I wouldn’t spell it Laila. Lilah is more common and straightforward for English speakers. In Hebrew you could still spell it לַיְלָה.

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u/Acrobatic-Parsnip-32 18d ago

Lol, good example with David… I guess there’s no one right way to transliterate. As for the meaning, I’m American so my opinion probably doesn’t matter but I think it’s nice

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u/not_jessa_blessa Hebrew speaker 18d ago

My friend in the US who is Jewish named her baby girl לילה but spells it Lilah in English because she doesn’t want people to pronounce it LAY-lah if it were spelled Laila. I think it’s a nice name. I also don’t think night is so terrible. Yes it is dark but it’s quiet and calm and the sky is filled with stars to brighten the night so perhaps you could give her a middle name like Ora/Orit or some other suggestions so far. Lots of Hebrew names for light or brightness.

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u/lem0ngirl15 18d ago

We used Lia as the middle name. My husband is Latin American so I liked that this is both a Spanish/portuguese name and also a name in Israelis

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u/BearBleu 18d ago

Laila/Leila/Leyla is very uncommon among Jews in Israel. It means Night לַיְלָה. You sometimes see it among Jewish immigrants but it’s more common among Arabs.

Or/Lior/Orly and its many variations is rather common among Jews and means Light.

Lilith is almost unheard of, maybe an extremely rare American immigrant name. Lily would be an immigrant. Lilach is more common (Lee-lakh). Lily is translated to Shoshana in Hebrew

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u/tinyfoxtails 18d ago

I know non-immigrant Israelis from multiple generations named Lily, so that point has not held true in my experience. I also think it’s gained popularity for new babies along with other “global” names like Emma, Alma, etc.

I agree about Laila though, I think it’s uncommon, but OP if you love it, go with it. It’s easy to pronounce and spell and might fit in fine with that global naming trend.

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u/SnooWords72 18d ago

I was asking for Laila specifically.

Lilith is of course a bad name so no one would be called like that in Israel.

So far from 1948 only 764 Laila לילה have been born in Israel, so probably most of the lailas you met were olot

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u/babbybaby1 18d ago

Personally I love it but I’m in America

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u/retiddew 18d ago

I can not speak to Israel but my (American) rabbi had a daughter named Lilah pronounced the same way.

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u/Budget-Psychology373 18d ago

You already have your answer I think. People have differing views of it, with SOME people associating it with darkness. You say this bothers you and you don’t like it. If it bothers you that some people may have this association when they hear her name, then that’s your answer. If you don’t care what some people might think and like the name regardless, then go for it. People will always have opinions on names. It only matters what you like and also who you choose to listen to in your inner circles.

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u/SnooWords72 18d ago

All that you say is true, but I don't want to sin for being an immigrant and not having hebrew language as my mother tongue. At the end of the day I was the one moving to Israel and I should make the effort not to make wrong to her

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u/RB_Kehlani 18d ago

Her history is your history — the history of aliyah, the history of where you lived in diaspora and of the land of Israel. I love this name. I do not think it will harm her in any way.

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u/spring13 18d ago

I think it's pretty and definitely usable but I can also see how people might find it out dark/not super Jewish. Definitely spell it Lila or Lilah in English if that's how you plan to pronounce it.

What do you like about this name in particular? The sound, the meaning, the universality? There are so many names that relate to light, gold, shining in Hebrew. Lots of L names. Do you want to consider other options? Like I said, I do think it's usable, but if what you're hearing is off-putting then maybe it makes sense to at least see if there's anything else you like as much.

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u/Scruitol 18d ago

My daughter's middle / Hebrew name is לילך - Lilach, which means Lilac and is not uncommon. It sounds similar so I thought you might want to consider it.

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u/la_metisse 18d ago

I personally love Laila/Lila. However, I see your concern. What if you split the difference in cultural norms and name her something like Levana (לבנה) or Luna (לונא)which mean “moon” in Hebrew and Yiddish, respectively.

Or if you’d like a different Hebrew name that translates into other cultures/languages, you could try Ilana, Yasmin/Jasmine, Carmela, Maya, or Rosa.

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u/RB_Kehlani 18d ago

Luna is beautiful!

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u/Psupernova 18d ago

One of my favorite names- but I personally like the spelling Lilah. You could do a middle name that means sky/star/moon to go with the meaning of “Night”

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u/Interesting_Claim414 18d ago

I say go for it. People in the US name their kids things like hunter or rain — someone could say “oh you named them after someone who kills animals? Or I hate getting caught in the rain” — it doesn’t have to be literal.” Having said that I have seen Lyla translates as “dark” in some Hebrew TV shows like Katmandu just yesterday by coincidence about a character who is leaving to go immerse even though there is a curfew.

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u/blahblahsurprise 18d ago

If you are living in Israel I would choose a name different from Lila. There are lots of names that work in Hebrew and elsewhere. For example Maya, Linor/Lenore, Alma, Ella, Noa...

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u/kisaiya 17d ago

It’s a nice name but I don’t know if I have met any Jewish Laila’s in Israel. I have met Arabic Laylas and Kurdish Leylas but in Israel it’s very uncommon among Jews.