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Baby Name of the Day: Naila

September 16, 2011 By appellationmountain 18 Comments

The work of a student of Arabic calligraphy, u...

Arabic calligraphy; Image via Wikipedia

She’s an Arabic option with heroic overtones.

Thanks to Abbey for suggesting one she’s considering for her baby-on-the-way.

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Comments

  1. Catherine says

    September 17, 2011 at 7:40 AM

    I live in a city with a ginormous East Asian population (Vancouver) and I wouldn’t bat an eye if I ran into a baby Naila/Nahla/Nyla or an adult one for that matter. Large Sikh and Hindu populations too.

    Reply
  2. Sarah A says

    September 16, 2011 at 9:54 PM

    My sisters have a friend named Naila, I believe her family is of Indian descent. She pronounces it Nyla and I don’t think she’s ever had issues with it. While I do think the Nyla spelling sacrifices something, I don’t think it’s as drastic a respelling as say Shavon for Siobhan. I think Naila is probably better only if parents want to emphasize the 3 syllable prn, which I happen to like best though it’s hardest to say in English (and even then you’re best off with “Na’ila” which looks hideous imho). It’s so funny that I’ve never even thought of the “Nail-uh” thing! Naila is pretty, but if I’m going to have people stumble over our kids names it’ll be for a name we LOVE.

    Reply
  3. Angela says

    September 16, 2011 at 8:45 PM

    Yeah, I totally thought it was “Nail-uh”…. Like “nail a sign to that tree”. Whoops.

    Reply
  4. waltzingmorethanmatilda says

    September 16, 2011 at 8:03 PM

    At first I thought “nailer”, but the Nyler spelling make it a lot clearer.

    I’m not a fan of N-names in an Australian accent, so would prefer to see this in other countries, really. It’s pretty otherwise.

    Reply
  5. Lou @ Mer de noms says

    September 16, 2011 at 3:17 PM

    She’s an intriguing choice, and I did initially believe the name to rhyme with Kayla. I do think it rhyming with Lila is probably better though, since it side steps the association with nails.

    Reply
  6. Julie says

    September 16, 2011 at 2:05 PM

    My Grandmother had a friend named Nyla and I went to high school with another Nyla. Both women had decidedly Norwegian surnames, so I’m guessing in their cases the name was related to the Norwegian word ny, meaning “new.” Ny is sometimes used as a name, but it’s more common as an element in names like Signy and Dagny.

    Although I love the story of the original Naila, I’m not sure about this spelling… middle school is tough enough.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      September 16, 2011 at 2:13 PM

      That’s fascinating, Julie – and I agree about the Naila spelling. Authentic or not, it worries me.

      Reply
  7. Bridget says

    September 16, 2011 at 1:13 PM

    So surprised to see this name covered here – I’d never read anyone talk about it before! It’s great to learn the history behind it. At my previous job, the owner’s wife’s sister has the name ‘Naile’, pronounced like Leila/Kayla. She sometimes would work part-time, and many other employees would usually mangle her name into Nyla or even Naylee, since it was spelled ‘Naile’. But according to her sister & brother-in-law, they pronounced it like Leila/Kayla. I do not know is she was born here in the U.S., but I know her father is originally from Hungary (sidenote: the sister’s name is Eva, pronounced like Ava/Ayva).

    Reply
  8. Austriangirl says

    September 16, 2011 at 12:07 PM

    My great aunt is named Naila pronounced Nah-ee-lah , so I really cant picture a baby with this name. I much more prefer the name Naima ( Nah-ee-ma). It also has Arabic origen and with regards to my Bosnian name dictionary it has the meanings lucky, soft, gentle and fine.
    Other names similar to Naila are Nahla,Naiba,Naida, Naifa and Naita

    Reply
  9. Charlotte Vera says

    September 16, 2011 at 10:25 AM

    Naila is very pretty and I instantly pronounced it correctly in my head, but that’s probably because I grew up in India. I can see why people migh respell it Nyla, although I think the original spelling is lovelier. I hope it wouldn’t be confused with Nala, since “nala” means “gutter” in hindi.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      September 16, 2011 at 2:15 PM

      Oh dear – I was just thinking that I really do like Nala … maybe Nahla is the better spelling …

      Reply
      • Sarah A says

        September 16, 2011 at 9:56 PM

        Is the H silent in Nahla?

        Reply
    • Angela says

      September 16, 2011 at 8:44 PM

      Doesn’t Nala mean “gift” in Swahili or something? I wonder why they used it in The Lion King…

      Reply
  10. C in DC says

    September 16, 2011 at 10:19 AM

    I too would look at Naila and rhyme it with Leila (and other similar Arabic names) or turn it into Niala. I can also see it being confused with Nala, especially with the Lion King back in theatres.

    It’s a pretty sounding name, though.

    Reply
  11. Nicole says

    September 16, 2011 at 9:27 AM

    I immediately thought it rhymed with Kayla and my mind jumped to all of the sayings in junior high/ high school about her Nailing things or people. I think the alternative spelling Nyla would be better in most english speaking areas to avoid this confusion

    Reply
  12. namemuststay says

    September 16, 2011 at 2:13 PM

    I see Nyla on the move, not so much Naila. Like a few others, I immediately thought of Halle Berry’s daughter Nahla and the female lion cub in The Lion King.

    I think I preferred yesterday’s N–a name, but maybe this just needs more time to cook inside my head…

    Reply
  13. Lola says

    September 16, 2011 at 8:34 AM

    Naila is definitely intriguing! Since I live in a hugely Irish/Brasilian population (I know, weird mix!), Naila would likely be mangled here on a daily basis. So I wouldn’t use it. Maybe if I lived somewhere with a larger Arabic & Indian population.

    Naila’s got such a pretty sound, I’d love, love, love to meet one!

    Reply
    • C in DC says

      September 16, 2011 at 10:21 AM

      Sounds like you live somewhere near Boston or Providence, if you’re in the U.S.

      Reply

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