The meaning behind Jennifer Gates and Nayel Nassar's daughter's Arabic name

The daughter of Microsoft founder Bill Gates welcomed a baby with her Egyptian show jumper husband this year

A girl named Leila was born to Jennifer Gates and Egyptian show jumper Nayel Nassar in February. Instagram/Jennifer Gates

Jennifer Gates has announced the name she and husband Nayel Nassar chose for their daughter.

Gates, the daughter of Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda, took to Instagram to share a photo of their baby girl, who was born in February, and revealed her name is Leila.

She clarified pronunciation, writing “pronounced LAY- luh”.

Leila is an Arabic girls' name that means night or dark, derived from the word layl. Alternative spellings for the name are Lyla or Lailah. Nassar is an Egyptian-American show jumper.

The name is popular in Arabic-speaking countries, in part because of the popularity of epic Arabic poem Majnun wa Leila, which is often described as the Romeo and Juliet of the Arab world.

According to baby naming guide babynames.com, Leila stands at number 246 in the US's baby names popularity chart. It has risen in popularity steadily since 1997, when it stood at number 936.

On Sunday, Gates shared a post on social media to mark Nassar's first Father's Day.

“Happy first Father’s Day, @nayelnassar,” Gates wrote. “It’s no surprise to me that you’re the best papa to our sweet girl and have embraced this role so naturally. We love you to infinity and beyond.”

Gates and Nassar announced the birth of their daughter in March after revealing they were expecting a baby in November.

“Sending love from our healthy little family,” the couple wrote in a joint post, which showed them holding the newborn.

The pair married in October 2021 at Gates's 50-hectare horse farm in North Salem, New York, a day after they reportedly exchanged vows in a small Muslim ceremony.

For the ceremony, Gates wore a long-sleeved lace gown which was custom-made by Vera Wang Haute. She wore her hair loose with a long veil and she carried a white bouquet.

She changed into a second dress for the reception, also designed by Wang, which featured a square neckline, lined with nude tulle and embellished with French macrame lace.

Nassar wore a simple three-piece tux, with white flowers to match Gates's bouquet pinned to his lapel.