Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2019

Nala

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #856 Trend ↓ Falling 14%
Rank 2025
#856
among girls · ↓103 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
317
named Nala · -15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,070
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2019
428 babies
All-time total
6,138
#2,261 all-time among girls
First recorded
1979
in Social Security records

Nala popularity over time

6,138 babies have been named Nala since 1979, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2019Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 5 1 – #11,345
1980s – – – –
1990s 320 32 – #1,724
2000s 822 82 +157% #1,820
2010s 2,837 284 +245% #679
2020s (to 2025) 2,154 359 +27% #695

Where Nala is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 311 0.19 outside top 500
2027 305 0.19 outside top 500
2028 301 0.19 outside top 500
2029 297 0.18 outside top 500
2030 294 0.18 outside top 500

Where Nala is most popular

Girls named Nala per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.215 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Georgia, and Delaware.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Nala born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 6 0.506 +135%
Georgia 102 0.449 +108%
Delaware 5 0.441 +105%
Louisiana 35 0.400 +86%
South Carolina 35 0.389 +81%
Virginia 63 0.370 +72%
North Carolina 83 0.365 +69%
Alabama 32 0.341 +58%
Maryland 36 0.340 +58%
Michigan 59 0.324 +50%
Florida 137 0.320 +49%
Arkansas 15 0.284 +32%
Illinois 64 0.280 +30%
Pennsylvania 64 0.271 +26%
New York 107 0.270 +25%
Tennessee 42 0.265 +23%
Arizona 37 0.264 +22%
Ohio 62 0.261 +21%
New Jersey 42 0.233 +8%
Indiana 32 0.228 +6%
Connecticut 13 0.223 ≈ national
Mississippi 10 0.214 ≈ national
California 168 0.200 -7%
Texas 157 0.195 -9%
Missouri 23 0.191 -11%
Wisconsin 17 0.165 -23%
Massachusetts 17 0.141 -35%
Kentucky 12 0.140 -35%
Colorado 15 0.134 -38%
Oklahoma 9 0.122 -43%
Minnesota 13 0.120 -44%
Nevada 5 0.108 -50%
Kansas 5 0.087 -60%
Washington 11 0.076 -65%
Alaska – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Nala

Nala is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #856 in 2025 with 317 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1979, 6,138 American babies have been named Nala. Its peak came in 2019, when 428 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Nala stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Nala?

The median living Nala is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 13. An estimated 6,100 people named Nala are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Nala year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 317 #856
2024 375 #753
2023 320 #846
2022 351 #804
2021 385 #741
2020 406 #695
2019 428 #679
2018 374 #742
2017 362 #766
2016 365 #777
2015 286 #950
2014 267 #994
2013 234 #1,066
2012 238 #1,059
2011 158 #1,438
2010 125 #1,692
2009 111 #1,899
2008 119 #1,820
2007 92 #2,172
2006 102 #1,972
2005 71 #2,478
2004 94 #1,985
2003 78 #2,222
2002 48 #3,052
2001 56 #2,687
2000 51 #2,848
1995 85 #1,724
1990 – –
1985 – –
1980 – –
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Nala, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Nala?

The median living Nala is about 8 years old. Half of all living Nalas are between 4 and 13 years old.

How many people named Nala are alive today?

An estimated 6,100 people named Nala are alive in the United States, based on 6,138 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Nala in 2025?

Nala ranked #856 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 317 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nala?

6,138 babies have been named Nala in the United States since 1979, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nala most popular?

Nala peaked in 2019, when 428 newborns received the name.

Is Nala a boy or girl name?

Nala is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Nala rising or falling?

Nala is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Nala become more popular?

Nala is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 294 girls named Nala in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Nala

Names that sound and feel close to Nala: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Nala with similar names → More names starting with N →