Lailah

Lailah is a spelling associated with Layla and Leila, names connected with the Arabic word for night. The final h is a written variation rather than an additional meaning. The same Latin-letter form also recalls the Hebrew word for night and the figure Lailah in Jewish tradition, so more than one cultural connection is possible.

In Jewish accounts, Lailah is an angel associated with night and conception. That story should be distinguished from the Arabic name’s linguistic meaning rather than treated as the origin of every Layla or Lailah. Families may prefer the spelling because of one tradition, a relative, or the sound, with pronunciation naturally varying according to the intended language.