Feminine dossier · first seen 1880
Lela
Endangered
Down 91.6% from peak
Peak era
1921
Peak births
907
Current vitality
Rare
Peak generation
Greatest Generation
Quick answers about Lela
How many people are named Lela?
An estimated 9,895 living Americans are named Lela.
How rare is Lela?
Lela is uncommon among babies today, with 76 girls receiving the name in 2025, down 91.6% from its 1921 peak.
How old is the typical Lela?
The median age of a living American named Lela is approximately 47 years, with most bearers falling between 19 and 69 years old.
Is Lela still popular?
No. Lela is endangered as a baby name, down 91.6% from its 1921 peak with 76 births in 2025.
Where is Lela most common?
Lela has its strongest geographic signal in Mississippi, where it appears 5.6× more often than the national baseline.
1880Peak 19212025
Peak year
1921
Decline from peak
91.6%
2025
76
All-time
43,005
Where it lives now
Lela is most concentrated in Mississippi — about 5.6× the national rate in the 1950s. It also runs high in Arkansas.
States where Lela is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.