Nala

• Origin: Popular Culture
• Gender: Female
• First Est. 1990s
• Pron: NAH-lah

The modern feminine name Nala was popularized by the character Nala, Simba’s childhood friend and eventual mate, in Disney’s 1994 animated film The Lion King. Although the character’s name is frequently claimed to mean “gift,” “beloved,” or “successful” in Swahili, these etymologies appear to be spurious. There is a Sesotho word nala which means “prosperity,” however, the intended origin of the character’s name remains uncertain. Nala was virtually unknown as a female given name in the United States before the film’s release but experienced an immediate increase thereafter.

Nala is also an unrelated ancient Sanskrit masculine name, borne by King Nala in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Interestingly enough, it was taken as the stage name of Nala Damajanti (fl. 1864–1894), stage name of a snake charmer who toured with P. T. Barnum and performed at the Folies Bergère. Her birth name was Mathilde Marie Amelia Poupon.

Nala first appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Female Names in 2014, two decades after the debut of The Lion King. It peaked at 675 in 2019 and currently ranks in at #856 (2025).

In England and Wales, it first appeared in the Top 1000 Female Names in 2015, peaked at #428 in 2021 and currently comes in at #590 (2025).

It also appeared one time among the Top 500 Most Popular Female Names in the Netherlands, in 2020, coming in at #471.

The name is borne by American model and daughter of Keenan Ivory Wayans, Nala Wayans (b. 1996).

Sister Names: Abra, Ambra, Ariana, Aziza, Briella, Calla, Calliope, Cassia, Dalia, Delilah, Dharma, Echo, Eden, Electra, Farrah, Freesia, Freya, Gaia, Galatea, Galilea, Imara, India, Indira, Jada, Jasmine, Kaia, Kalila, Kalindi, Kiara, Layla/Leila, Liana, Lilou, Luna, Maeva, Maia, Malia, Mariah, Mia, Naama, Naomi, Nevaeh, Nia, Noa, Nola, Ocea, Priya, Raisa, Rhea, Riva, Roma, Saba(h), Sabra, Samara, Sanna, Sapphire, Selah, Shasta, Sheba, Shiloh, Sierra, Soraya, Surya, Talia, Tallulah, Tiana, Vienna, Xyla, Yadira, Yasmine, Yesenia, Zahara, Zara, Zola

Brother Names: Adair, Amadeo, Amir, Apollo, Arlo, Azariah, Caspian, Cassiel, Cato, Corbin, Cruz, Cosmo, Dallas, Damian, Darius, Elian, Emilio, Enzo, Ezra, Felix, Frisco, Gabriel, Galen, Giovanni, Hadrian, Harlem, Hermes, Horatio, Hosea, Hugo, Iago, Inigo, Isaiah, Jabari, Jabez, Jagger, Jalen, Jayden, Jeremiah, Jex, Kadir, Kai, Kalil, Karim, Keanu, Lado, Laredo, Lazarus, Leander, Leo, Malachi, Micah, Marlon, Navarro, Neo, Noah, Omar, Onyx, Orion, Paris, Phoenix, Raul, Rio, River, Salem, Seven, Shiloh, Taj, Uriah, Viggo, Xander, Xavier, Xerxes, Zaden, Zale, Zebulon

Sources

• https://www.behindthename.com/name/nala-2