Name meaning
Atilla
The name of the Hun ruler Attila, known as a symbol of might and stern rule.
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Name meaning and origin
There is no consensus among historians about the origin of the name Atilla. In the nineteenth century, the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm explained the name by adding the diminutive suffix -ila to the Gothic word atta (father), proposing the meaning 'little father'; some modern Turkologists, meanwhile, claim the name is of Hunnic-Turkic origin, formed from the words ata and el.
The person who most made the name known in history is Attila, the ruler of the Hun Empire from 434 to 453 who put Europe in terror. Although the name is rarely encountered in Azerbaijan, it is not entirely foreign: according to Behind the Name's 2025 statistics, Atilla was recorded 17th among boys born in Azerbaijan. Unlike the form Attila widely used in English sources, in Azerbaijani and Turkic it is written Atilla with a single t.
Name details
- Gender
- Boy's name
- Origin
- Türk mənşəli
- Letter count
- 6
- Appears in the Quran
- No
- Variants
- Attila
- Pronunciation
- a.ˈtil.la
Notable people with this name
Atilla (the Hun ruler)
Frequently asked questions
The most asked questions about this name.
What is the meaning of the name Atilla?
The meaning of the name Atilla is disputed; according to the Gothic theory it means 'little father', while according to the Turkic-origin theory it means 'father of the nation'.Is the name Atilla mentioned in the Quran?
No, the name Atilla does not appear in the Quran; it is the historical name of a Hun ruler.Is Atilla a boy name or a girl name?
Atilla is a boy name.