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ArchivesKeile/Kayla/etc - Yiddish?
A lot of people I know believe Kayla (spelled in various ways) is a Yiddish female name, and it seems to have been used that way for a moderately long time (I have no specific dates to cite but it's a name that is in people's families). There is not agreement on the source. I have heard it said that it's from Kelila, but I'm skeptical of that since I'm not sure how old Kelila itself is; I was under the vague impression that Kelila is a modern Hebrew name. I've also seen Kalia listed as a variation of Kelila, but never seen Kalia used in real life. Do you know if this is the actual source of Kayla in Yiddish or if it's something different?
ETA: Other possible sources I've found suggested include Hebrew "like god" (ka-el, similar to michael), or Hebrew "vessel" (kli, keli) (this latter is on aish.com), or Chaya -> Chayala -> Kayala -> Kayla, or borrowed from German Christians, or (non-Hebrew, don't know what language this would be) from "black" meaning black hair, like Breindel.
ETA 2: Leaning towards it being from Geila, an old German name, as suggested in Yiddish Given Names: A Lexicon.
ETA: Other possible sources I've found suggested include Hebrew "like god" (ka-el, similar to michael), or Hebrew "vessel" (kli, keli) (this latter is on aish.com), or Chaya -> Chayala -> Kayala -> Kayla, or borrowed from German Christians, or (non-Hebrew, don't know what language this would be) from "black" meaning black hair, like Breindel.
ETA 2: Leaning towards it being from Geila, an old German name, as suggested in Yiddish Given Names: A Lexicon.
This message was edited 1/22/2023, 5:32 AM
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