Leela (name)

Leela is a name of Arabic, Hebrew, and Sanskrit origin. It is a variation of the Semitic name Leila. It means “night” in both Arabic and Hebrew. As with many Sanskrit words, it cannot be literally translated to English but can be loosely translated as "play" (noun). Lila is common to both non-dualistic and dualistic philosophical schools, but has a markedly different significance in each. Within non-dualism, Leela is a way of describing all reality, including the cosmos, as the outcome of creative play by the divine absolute (Brahman).

Given name

 * Leela Aheer (born 1970), Canadian politician
 * Leela Bunce (born 1980), British media personality
 * Leela Chitnis (1912–2003), Indian actress
 * Leela Corman, American cartoonist
 * Leela Desai (fl. 1937–1961), Indian actress
 * Leela Devi (1932–1998), Indian writer
 * Leela Devi Dookhun (born 1961), Mauritian cabinet minister
 * Leela Dube (1923–2012), Indian anthropologist
 * Leela Gandhi (born 1966), Indian-American academic
 * Leela Gilday, Dene-Canadian singer
 * Leela Grace (born 1977), American singer-songwriter
 * Leela Hamid (born 1984), Maldivian volleyball player
 * Leela Hazzah, Egyptian conservation biologist
 * Leela James (born 1983), American singer-songwriter
 * Leela Majumdar (1908–2007), Bengali writer
 * Leela Damodara Menon (born 1923), Indian politician
 * Leela Mishra (1908–1988), Indian actress
 * Leela Naidu (1940–2009), Indian actress
 * Leela Nambudiripad (1934–2021), Indian children's author
 * Leela Omchery (born 1929), Indian singer and writer
 * Leela Roy (1900–1970), Indian politician
 * Leela Samson (born 1951), Indian dancer and writer
 * Leela Savasta, Canadian actress
 * Leela Soma, Indian-Scottish writer
 * Leela Sumant Moolgaokar (1916–1992), Indian social worker

Surname

 * Chindodi Leela (1937–2010), Indian actress and politician
 * Kulappulli Leela, Indian actress
 * P. Leela (1934–2005), Indian playback singer

Fictional characters

 * Leela, granddaughter of Akela in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book
 * Turanga Leela, a protagonist of Futurama
 * Leela of the Sevateem, a companion of the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who.