Hi Swistle,
My husband and I are expecting our first child (a girl!) after four years of IVF treatments and are thrilled! Back when we were naive and thought we would conceive right away, we picked out names for a boy and a girl, basically ruling out anything/everything else:
Colton Mark (nickname Cole, Mark is my husband’s first name and a follows a naming tradition in his family of giving the father’s first name as the son’s middle name)
Kyla Morgan (Morgan is a family name on my side)
We’ve been calling the baby Kyla since we found out it was a girl and decided not to tell anyone the name until she is born because we don’t want to hear people’s opinions on it. That lasted about five minutes and we ended up telling a friend of ours who later referred to her as “Baby Kayla”.
I recoiled in horror and have been second-guessing Kyla’s name ever since. I do not like the name Kayla – it screams 80s to me, and not in a good way. My husband is full steam ahead on Kyla still, but I am not-so-secretly compiling a list of alternative names.
My first question to you and your readers: have you heard the name Kyla before? Is it too close to the more-familiar Kayla that she will get called Kayla all the time?
Second question: are there better names out there?! Am I settling too soon on a name I picked out literally four years ago?
Here’s what else is on our/my list:
Morgan – as a first name instead of middle
Madelyn – too popular?
Nicole – my middle name, but is it too 80s?
Natalie – the only name my husband has said he likes
Linnea – a childhood obsession of mine from the book Linnea in Monet’s Garden but my husband hates it
Liliana – husband hates itCorinna Noelle – this is the name I named all of my dolls as a child, then daydreamed naming the daughter I would one day have with my crush as a 13 year old. My sister recently reminded me of my obsession and I, oddly enough, don’t hate it and maybe kind of like it?
Our last name is Polish, full of consonants, starts with Skr- and ends in -ski. I think I lean towards more feminine names to offset the heavy surname.
Help?!
Stephanie
Oh, yes, I know that feeling, where two names are theoretically similar, and yet one is the name that lives in your heart and the other is a name that makes you shudder. Well. I talk a lot on this site about the “package deal” of a name: that is, every name comes with its own set of upsides and downsides and complications. Some names come with a LOT MORE upsides/downsides/complications than others, and some downsides/complications are much more serious than others, and some upsides are more worth the potential downsides/complications, etc.—and so it can take some considerable effort to figure out how things shake out on the balance scale. And because all that balance-scale work is very subjective, other people’s votes may or may not be much use.
I think that yes, part of the package deal of the name Kyla is that it will sometimes be mistaken for the more familiar Kayla. However, I think that everyone who is a regular in her life will know it is Kyla, and the mistakes will come almost entirely in situations where it doesn’t matter: for example, the Taco Bell clerk may call out “Kayla?” when her order is ready, or the school secretary might call down to ask for Kayla to be sent to the office to pick up her forgotten lunch box.
My vote would be to persevere with the name Kyla. But I also don’t think there’s any harm in considering other options, if that would be fun: it can a little bit of a bummer to go into a pregnancy with all the fun name decisions already made.
Glancing over your list, the only name that catches my eye is Linnea—but your husband hates it, so I don’t think that’s worth pursuing, unless you think he dismissed it without really thinking about it. Nicole does seem too 1980s to me, or even too 1970s, and also seems too similar to Colton/Cole.
I love Corinna Noelle. How does your husband feel about it? It might be necessary to first get him in the right frame of mind: if he’s full-steam-ahead with the name Kyla, he might not be seriously considering new candidates. You’ll know better than I will the right way to reset his thinking, but with Paul I would say, “I know we pretty much decided on Kyla. But it’s been awhile since we decided on that, and I will feel more certain about it if we can first seriously consider other options. So what I’d like us to do is act like we have NOT decided on Kyla, or even pretend that something happened and now we CAN’T use the name Kyla, and give some serious thought to other options.”
A name similar to Kyla (though perhaps, as with Kayla, similar in ways that don’t appeal) is Lila. And that makes me think of the other rhyming options: Isla, Myla, Nyla.
Another similar-but-maybe-in-the-wrong-way option: Kaya. I think the spelling/pronunciation issues might be a bit of a headache.
My daughter is friends with a Kyra, but that one is constantly mispronounced (KY-ra or KEER-a?) and misspelled (Kira).
And another in this same theme of similar-but-maybe-in-the-wrong-way: Kiley.
Clara is an option that shares a surprising number of sounds with Kyla, considering how different the two names are.
I wonder if you would like Brielle? I thought of it when I saw Noelle and Nicole.
Name update:
Hi Swistle!
So I have a three-months-late baby update for you. Baby Kyla Morgan was born on December 22nd at 12:02pm, weighing in at 7lbs 12oz. We decided to keep Kyla Morgan as we had originally planned because after so long Kyla just felt like our baby.
That being said, we have definitely heard “Kayla” a few times. Most notably, my mother-in-law and father-in-law called her Kayla multiple times over the first couple days of her life! I gritted my teeth and my husband firmly corrected them and we haven’t heard it from them again.
Thanks to you and your readers for mulling this over with me!
And of course, attached is a photo of Kyla Morgan at three months old!
Stephanie
I had a Kyla in my class last year. As Swistle said, some peripheral people at school would sometimes refer to her as Kayla, but a quick correction was all that was needed to get them on track. I think it’s a great name! This particular Kyla is always smiling and has a great heart. I think of her when I think of the name, so two thumbs up!
“Smiling and has a great heart” – I LOVE IT! :)
FWIW: I know a Kyla and the idea of it being similar to Kayla never crossed my mind until now!
Throwing in another perspective. I know several Kylas, including my soon-to-be niece (as in, I will be marrying her uncle next year!); they represent a range of ages, but most of them are clustered up close to age 30–eighties babies who went to college with me. I also know a couple of Kaylas, who are closer to 21–nineties babies. (And yet it looks like Kyla actually peaked in 2004, so those kids are around 12 years old now; and Kayla has apparently been consistently popular since the eighties, without a break so far.) This might be regional/cultural, but both names feel pretty firmly and independently established to me. More than one of the Kylas goes by the nickname Ky.
No one has ever, in my presence, mistaken one of those Kylas for a Kayla, and it seems like kind of an unlikely mistake, like misremembering Holly as Hayley (a completely different vowel sound). I have always understood this name to be the feminization of the name Kyle, and i think it works great that way! Like Swistle said, at worst she will occasionally correct a person once and then be done with it. I don’t think your friend’s mistake is representative.
I’m a “Holly” and when people have forgotten my name, I have often been called “Heather” or “Heidi” instead (not “Hayley” interestingly), so I think you bring up a valid point – if “Kyla” is not remembered, they may say “Kylee” or “Katie” or who knows! :)
Congrats!
Go with Kyla since you’ve loved it for ages. Yes people with sometimes screw it up, but as Swistle says, the main people with get it right. My surname ends in -field but i get -feld fairly regularly. My boy is a Kerry (an honor name) but new people think we said “Gary” or sometimes “Kenny” All the regulars in his life, including many of the grocery clerks and the librarians who’re usually on when we go.
I had a similar dilemma. My oldest daughter’s name is Ava. We kept our baby names a secret until she was born because we wanted to meet her before deciding on a name. Well, I never realized how much Ava could sound like “Eva” when some people said it (and while I love the name Ava, I’m not fond of Eva).
It didn’t happen all the time, but I became so fixated on it when it did happen, that I honestly considered changing my daughters name.
I eventually came to terms with it. I just had to remind myself why I loved the name in the first place and why I thought it fit her so perfectly when she was born. It took a while, but I fell back in love with the name and stopped second guessing it. I can honestly say it’s a non issue now.
I think Kyla is a lovely name. If you and your husband love it, you should go for it!
I like Morgana, Natalie, and Madelyn for you.
My sister’s name is Christen and you’d be shocked at how often people say Christian. That’s not an issue with the name, though. It’s more people missreading it. If you think about her introducing herself to people no one is going to think she is saying Kayla. If you love Kyla go with Kyla.
It’s probable it will get mistaken for Kayla on occasion, but most names are confused with another name somewhere down the line. Whether it’s a deal breaker depends on how much you love it, or whether it’s just another reason of several the name is seeming less appealing to you. If that’s all that’s giving you pause, I’d go with Kyla.
Off your list, I like Morgan and Madelyn (Madeleine?) best.
For what it’s worth, I’ve met one Kayla (born in the 90s) and couple kids named Keira (ages 11 & 5), but no Kylas.
I know that BehindTheName can attract faulty commenters, but I do like clicking on the Comments tab when I’m considering a name. There seems to be a common theme of mispronunciation. Take the rest with a grain of salt. I know Kylies my age, and more than a few Keira/Kira/Kyras my age and under 5, but no Kylas. It makes me think first of Kai, which is rising fast where I am in BC. So I think the sound will be familiar enough. I also think Ks are getting a bad rap with the Kardashians. But if the mispronunciation will bother you enough, definitely keep looking while you’re cooking baby girl. Every name will be mispronunced at least once in awhile and maybe you’ll get used to it. Or maybe this is a sign to revisit Corinna, which is lovely and unexpected. Although not sure if you’d like to preserve the Co-sound for s future Cole? Good luck and huge congrats on finally having your baby on the way.
I have known one Kyla – i would never think to call her Kayla. What about Corinne? I think with your last name it would sound lovely.
I go to school with two Kylas, both in their late 20s or so. I love the name and would never think to confuse it with Kayla.
Kyla and Kayla are distinct names in my mind, and I think people are no more likely to mix them up than they are to occasionally refer to a Tim as “Tom” or a Jody as “Judy.” Go with Kyla if you like it best!
Corinna is lovely too, but very different from Kyla stylistically; I’d think carefully about which name better reflects your overall aesthetic. For what it’s worth, I feel that Colton & Kyla go better together than Colton & Corinna — plus the latter combination, as others have pointed out, might give you an unintentional “Co-” theme.
Yes, Kyla will sometimes be misheard as Kayla. However, most names are going to be misheard once in a while, it’s just how things work. I simple, “No, it’s Kyla, like Kyle” or something should be all the correction needed. Swistle has several really good suggestions for something similar to Kyla but not quite the same. I especially like Lila & Isla for you. Or perhaps some other names with strong “I” sounds; Violet, Ivy, Eliza, Diana, Iris, Skyler
Of the other names you are considering, Morgan, Nicole & Natalie all ready as very 80s to me. However, I really like the idea of Nicole for you, particularly if you think this may be your only child. If you think you may try for another, and want to reserve Cole in case of a future boy, I’d pass on using Nicole this time around. Or perhaps you’d want to consider something like Colette for a girl?
I think you’ll have to eliminate both Linnea & Liliana since it sounds like your husband really dislikes both of them.
To add a piece of anecdata to your name journey, I grew up with a Kyla, and no one ever mixed up her name. However, I’m in my 30s (long before the coming up of the name Kayla), so there wasn’t a common name to mix it up with. I like it though! And feel they are distinctly different names.
First of all, congratulations on your baby!
I like the name Kyla and think you should use it. I don’t currently know of any Kyla’s, but as a kid I did know a family for a few years who had a daughter with that name. Except they spelled it Kielah. So obviously the similarity to the name Kayla never occurred to me. Whether or not a name reminds you of another name depends a lot on how it’s spelled sometimes :)
Please update us on what you chose!
I think Kyla is a nice name but I would be prepared for it to be mistaken quite a bit. I work with a lot of young women in a volunteer position I hold and in the past couple of years I have worked with a Kaylee, Kylie, Kylee, Kyleigh, Kaylynn, Keeley, and Kylynn. All are beautiful names and I try my hardest to be respectful and say their names correct but I have to admit, I stumble a lot. There are just a lot of Ky names out there. I have to admit though, I don’t know any Kyla’s. That one is different.
I agree, go with Kyla. And I’ll add a sacreligious idea to occupy you-what about Kaila? I knowwwww! Alternative spelling!! You might cringe but it might be worth it to draw the similarity to the name Kai and also to the name Naila, both of which have the pronunciation you prefer (I mean to say, the correct pronunciation). Have fun on this long sought pregnancy journey and welcome soon to parenthood.
A good friend of mine is “Kaila” and she pronounces it “Kay-la”….
I’ll say I’m guilty of speed reading the title & seeing the first name as “Kayla.” But I was speed reading, but it’s going to happen a few times. That happens to everyone. I’m not familiar with Kyla & I have a 2yr old niece Kayla (MaKayla actually but due to a sibling not able to say it she has been Kayla since day one). If you love it, I’d keep it. Natalie, Morgan, & Nicole all scream 80s to me but not in a bad way. Nicole was one of my favorites & my niece is Kayla Nicole (SILs middle name is also Nicole). I also like Corinna Nicole too.
Well. I’m a Kayla (with a different spelling). And my aunt’s niece (so, a non-blood relation for me, but someone I saw a lot) is a Kyla. Everyone in the family constantly, without fail, non-stop, switched up our names. It was quite comical! It never bothered me, just like the regular mispronunciation of my name to sound like Kyla (rather than Kayla) from people in the wider world never bothered me. All that said, I never liked my name as a child and am lukewarm though resigned to it as an adult. My major problem with it (and I think Kyla has the same issue) from childhood on was that I thought it would sound dated as I got older– and it sure does. When I’m asked my opinion, I gently encourage people to pick names that are less easy to date, or at least have a longer history of use than the present time period if they’re still very popular. Kyla wasn’t used much before the 1980s/90s, so it will have this problem.
I liked Swistle’s suggestion of Clara. Stylistically, it’s totally different from Kyla, but it has similar sounds and while popular, is also classic. (Funnily enough, Clara, along with Charlotte, was the name I wished I’d had as a kid!)
Kyla also makes me think of Kaia (or Kaya, as Swistle points out). Kaia is ancient Greek and derived from Gaia, the name of the earth goddess. I also imagine Kaia sounds good with your surname.
Kaia made me think of Kora, which brings me back to Corinna. What about Cora? Or Coralie?
Coralie combines elements of Corinna (your longtime fave) with your husband’s choice Natalie.
Your Polish surname makes me wonder if a Polish heritage choice might work? Thinking of Kasia, which is popular in Poland (and pronounced KA-sha or KA-shi-a). Also, Lena, Maya/Maja, Nadia, and Natalia instead of Natalie. These might be too “out there” for your husband, though.
Good luck! And please, please update us!
I don’t think the Kyla/Kayla issue is that big a deal for the reasons Swistle stated. People who know her will get it right and other’s should only have to be corrected on occasion.
That said, I am routing for Corinna Noelle. My niece is named Corina (late teens) and she absolutely loves her name. She says it is feminine and familiar but has never shared the name with anyone in school or at work yet.
I agree that Kyla and Kayla may sometimes get swapped, but probably not more than any other names of similar sounds. To me, definitely not enough to NOT use the name you love!
But, if you are playing around with other names, one that immediately came to mind for you is Kalina. One of my coworkers used it last year to honor her Polish heritage. I thought it was so beautiful, and actually shares a lot of the sound elements of the names you like! (combines Kyla, Corinna, and Linnea?)
Oh Kalina is beautiful! Thanks for the suggestion!
I wonder about using Noelle as a first name. It sounds a bit like Nicole (and I am going to contradict myself now by saying if you like Nicole I am all for you using a name that you share with her), but it’s rare and very pleasant and not linked to a time period in my mind and also just lovely.
Noelle Morgan Skr-ski.
I grew up with a Kyla and a Kayla at different points, and it never really occurred to me that they’re similar. I think of Kayla as closer to Kaylee, and Kyla as closer to Skyla.
I have a personal anecdote to add to the mix: I teach a class that moms and dads attend with their young children, so I meet new babies and toddlers all the time. I have a mom who attends regularly who has a daughter who is named Kyla. Or maybe it’s Kayla? I have seen this mom/baby pair at least once or twice a month for the past year and I can never remember whether she’s Kyla or Kayla. (I looked it up on one of my class rosters right now to check: the little girl is named Kyla). This isn’t reassuring and not what you want to hear, I’m sure, but let me qualify it a bit:
I suspect the reason I can’t remember if she’s Kyla or Kayla is because I’m personally not a big fan of either name. To me, sound-wise they both fall into a general Kyla/Kyleigh/Kayla/Kayleigh/Kaylynn group and all blend together. Similarly, I’m terrible at remembering whether a child is named Mackenzie/McKenna/Makaylyn, etc. or Jayden/Jaylen/Jayven, etc. I think if I’m not a fan of that general sound combination my brain just lumps it all together and says “meh” and doesn’t bother to differentiate.
But here’s the thing: when I AM a fan of a name it’s easy for me to remember. Theoretically all of the Annabel/Annaliese/Annalee/Annalisas should blend together in a similarly confusing way, but because I personally like the sounds of those names and am fond of the style, I don’t mix them up. My brain differentiates them better.
So for everyone out there like me who is lukewarm on Kyla and may very well mix it up with Kayla, there will be an equal number (or maybe even more) people who love the name and don’t understand how anyone could possibly think it’s similar to Kayla and would never get the two confused.
Although Kyla isn’t my personal preference, I definitely don’t think there’s anything wrong with the name at all. If you have always loved it and had your heart set on it, use it! Honestly, I think everybody’s name gets mistaken for other similar names once in a while. I definitely wouldn’t let it be a deal-breaker if I loved the name.
My name is Natalie but I get Nicole fairly often. I don’t know why, those are not remotely the same except the first letter. Last name M!tchell and so I get Michelle a lot too. Add in my husband’s name being Dana and I get called a lot of things! Point being, name her what you love. Mistakes will always be made, but teach her to laugh it off / correct it politely / etc. and she will be fine. Congrats to you!
I think all your name preferences sound very 80s, but that isn’t a bad thing!! Kyla, to me, does blend with Kayla, Kylee, Kayleigh, etc., and BOY was that a popular trend in my region during the mid-late 80s through mid-late 90s! I only know one Kyla and she was in my class, and would now be in her early thirties.
That being said, it sounds good with Colton, and I don’t think you should talk yourself out of it. I do prefer Corrina Noelle, but not with Colton. I really prefer Kaia, for some reason. But overall, Kyla has a pretty sound! Congratulations!!!!
I would pronounce it as Kyla upon seeing it, not Kayla. It’s so similar-looking to Kyle that I think that helps make it look like the Ky sound.
I think Kyla/Kayla will be an occasional issue – you just have to decide how much it annoys you. I love Corinna.
I don’t think the Kayla mix up would happen a lot or be an issue, but I do think it sounds a little dated. I have a 16 year old niece Kyla, and it fits in with that 2000ish time period to me. But if you love it, go with it. I also like Corrina Noelle and Noelle as a first name. With Colton, I agree Kyla matches better. Maybe Kiera? Or Layla?
I used to work with a Kaila (pronounced Kyla), and she was sometimes called Kayla. I think her spelling lends itself to pronunciation confusion more than Kyla does, but either way I think a Kyla will sometimes get called Kayla. I don’t think it would be a big enough issue to be a deal breaker though. Even seemingly non-confusing names will run into pronunciation issues. My name is Katie, and I’ve had my name mistaken for Nady and Kenny (that ine baffles me) when ordering food from cashiers. If you like Kyla, don’t rule it out.
Yes, some people will be confused, but that happens to some degree with every name. I might think there’s another reason you are having doubts – whether you want to experience the pleasure of picking names now that there is an actual baby, or your tastes have changed in the last several years, or it just seems too easy after all the struggles you have gone through. No matter the reason, here are a few other names to consider. And FWIW my favorite on your list is Natalie. I tend to prefer a shorter or more common first name with a more difficult last name so she only has to repeat so much.
Lyra, Lydia, Delia, Chelsea, Camilla, Collette, Shea / Shay, Tabitha, Annika, Kendra, Valerie, Payton, Margot
One other option is Morgan as a fn + Stephanie or Nicole as baby’s middle. I like it when couples decide to honor a boy with dad’s name that they also honor a girl with mom’s name.
One of my big criteria for names was that it HAD to be easy to spell and say when you heard it. In the hospital just after our son was born the nurse MIS-SPELLED his name (she used a much less common variation from a different ethnicity think Jan instead of John for example). I completely freaked out and went into melt-down. I was convinced we had the wrong name and EVERYONE would get it wrong his whole life in exactly the same way. He’s in 3rd grade now and to my knowledge only one other person has made the same mistake. His nickname (self chosen) however is short for several names and causes lots of mix-ups all the time. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
What I’m trying to say is that, while understandable, it isn’t good to let one person’s opinion sway you too much… Also things that look like problems for a newborn baby don’t seem so serious on a child who can normally handle things fine. I do think people will mix up Kyla and Kayla (just like Kirsten and Kristen, Jack and Jake, Melissa and Melanie, Eva and Evie) but I don’t think that is a deal-breaker at all. The people who matter will get it right.
Having said that – NO WAY would I miss the opportunity to re-visit names during a pregnancy. I have started from scratch with each one of mine even though we had the shortlist chosen for the child before, just because it feels special to talk about the baby :)
As an Alice, virtually every new person I met as a kid (and even now as an adult to a large extent) initially assumes my name is Alison (or, for some reason, misremembers my name as April). It’s annoying in an amusing sort of way, but for me it doesn’t affect my feelings about my own name (which I love!). I’ve learned to introduce myself as “Alice – like in Wonderland” to head off the mishearings/misrememberings, so your Kyla will probably come up with a similar trick if it ends up being a common problem for her. I say go for it!
What about Lila? It rhymes with Kyla, and lets you have a variation of Liliana.
I know a Kyla, and I LOVE the name. I also know a Kaiya (like Maya with a K), which is somewhat similar.
As a CaroLINE, I get called CaroLYN a lot. A quick correction and then Im back to being called Caroline =]
I say go with Kyla Morgan. It’s a beautiful name!
Just realized Swistle also mentioned Kaya! The girl I know just spells it differently!
i am very familiar with the name Kyla because of my undying love for gymnastics, but even four year fans should know of Kyla Ross, one of the Fierce Five that won gold in 2012 ;) I wouldn’t worry about it. It might happen occasionally that people call her Kayla, but it won’t be constant. You can introduce her as “Kyla, rhymes with Lila” if you want to be clear with people.
I love the idea of having your naming tradition being that the kid gets a parents middle name too. Kyla Nicole is very pretty.
For what it’s worth, I’m a Morgan that has been called Megan pretty much my whole life, even by people who know me fairly well (meaning co-workers, not real friends)! And they sound very different. But it’s just a quick correction and you move on. Funny thing is Lyla was on our short list, and I’m NOT a fan of Layla, so I had the same dilemma as you. Ultimately we chose other names, but not because of that. I would have still gone with Lyla. Good luck! And congrats. My babies are IVF babies too :)
I am a Kyla and yes, people get my name wrong all the time, usually Kayla (if they know I am female) or Kyle (if they don’t, like over email even though my email address usually includes my first name). I hated this and wanted to change my name for a while as a teenager, but by the time I left for university I decided I liked it and stuck with it.
My children’s classes have a few girls named Kayla and Kyleigh (Kylee), and they often get mixed up, so I think a Kyla might be mistakenly called those other names. Have you considered Nyla? I also like the previous suggestion of Cora (and Nora). Selah could be another option.
Sorry to say that I know a Kyla and a Kayla and I still have to pause and think about how to pronounce each of their names so I don’t mix them up. They are both elementary school age.
I often say I should have just gone ahead and named my daughter Veronica Victoria, because SO many people call her that, including, for the first several years, my own mother! I also have a Maria and at her ped’s office, they always called for Mariah when she was a baby, which was annoying and strange but never made me doubt her name. I think you should stick with Kyla, you and your husband both liked it and it was your original choice, which I appreciate. I always, always doubt my chosen name and my husband always has to gently remind me of all the reasons we liked it in the first place! Best of luck!
For what it’s worth, my name is Grace and people misremember my name as Claire all the time. Half the people in my office call me Claire or Clare in emails when my email signature says Grace (Last Name). My math teacher one year in HS called me Claire for a semester. So did one of professors in college, as well as a swim coach and my priest. And Grace and Claire aren’t even similar. Some people are just going to misremember names or mishear names and some aren’t. I don’t think there is a name that this can be avoided
I can relate to you liking one name but hating a fairly similar one – I love Coraline, but and really not a fan of Caroline and know people would confuse the two constantly.
I went to school with a Kylah and I don’t recall anyone ever confusing her name with Kayla. I also prefer Kyla to Kayla and I hope all your worries disappear once she is here.
If it turns out she is not a Kylah, I think Corrina Noelle is a lovely choice too and I also like Swistle’s suggestion of Kayla/Kaia/Kaja. Without looking it up, I think Kaja may have Slavic/Polish origins – but that will either be a positive or negative for you, I’m sure. All the best with your pregnancy, congrats :)
Sorry, there was a bit of auto-correct there.: Kaya/Kaia/Kaja
I think your names- Morgan, Nicole, Kyla, Madelyn, Natalie- all seem like 90s names- which is kind of nice, because it means you have a certain style you like, and you know it! If it bothers you, though, I’d say Kyla is the youngest sounding one in my book. Disregard your friend saying “Kayla”- it was probably just an honest mistake, and not likely to happen from anyone on purpose.
Yes, she will be mistaken for Kayla. All the time.
I know because I am a Kyla. Sometimes I’ll get Kylie too, but usually it’s Kayla, which I also hate, same as your husband (because Kayla is not unique at all). Maybe she will have better luck than I’ve had as the name might become more common (though I kind of hope not). She’ll have to spend time correcting people, but I suspect that she would not want to change her name for anything. I know I don’t.