Ever since I was a kid I knew that if I had a son, I would name him Matthew David (an opinion which has since changed). But I never had a liking for any girls’ names. It’s not that I don’t want to have a daughter someday, I do! But for some reason I’d never heard a girls name that I went “yep, I’d name my kid that.” Until a few years ago when I heard the song Ayla by the Maccabees.
Ayla is pronounced like Kayla but without the “kuh” sound at the beginning (it’s NOT pronounced EYE-la). It’s apparently a Turkish name that means “halo of light around the moon” (or “moonlight”).
This website puts it in position #277 in popularity (in 2014 in the US). Although by comparison, my name, Kassandra, was ranked #516. (Womp womp).
I think in general I love Middle Eastern names (I also really like Aaliyah).
