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

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


Farah Andrews
  • English
  • Arabic

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.

PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE

1 Man City    26   20   3   3   63   17   63 

2 Liverpool   25   17   6   2   64   20    57 

3 Chelsea      25   14   8  3   49   18    50 

4 Man Utd    26   13   7  6   44   34    46 

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5 West Ham   26   12   6   8   45   34    42 

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6 Arsenal      23  13   3   7   36   26   42 

7 Wolves       24  12   4   8   23   18   40 

8 Tottenham  23  12   4   8   31   31   39  

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Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye. 
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength. 
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force. 
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.

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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

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Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

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Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

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MATCH INFO

Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD

* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10

Updated: June 21, 2023, 7:12 AM