Girl nameCurrently #53 in the USFalling
Leah
LEE-uh//ˈliːə//
2 syllablesPeak year: 20094 lettersStarts with L
Meaning & origin
Weary, or gazelle
Leah appears in the Book of Genesis as the elder wife of Jacob and mother of several tribes of Israel; the name's Hebrew root is debated, sometimes linked to weariness and sometimes to a word for gazelle. Its gentle sound and biblical weight have kept it a steady favorite for generations.
Leah's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Leah |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 54 |
| 1881 | 52 |
| 1882 | 56 |
| 1883 | 65 |
| 1884 | 79 |
| 1885 | 85 |
| 1886 | 83 |
| 1887 | 83 |
| 1888 | 118 |
| 1889 | 134 |
| 1890 | 162 |
| 1891 | 144 |
| 1892 | 163 |
| 1893 | 167 |
| 1894 | 182 |
| 1895 | 203 |
| 1896 | 169 |
| 1897 | 147 |
| 1898 | 185 |
| 1899 | 149 |
| 1900 | 166 |
| 1901 | 184 |
| 1902 | 171 |
| 1903 | 175 |
| 1904 | 149 |
| 1905 | 168 |
| 1906 | 164 |
| 1907 | 200 |
| 1908 | 194 |
| 1909 | 176 |
| 1910 | 207 |
| 1911 | 202 |
| 1912 | 302 |
| 1913 | 370 |
| 1914 | 457 |
| 1915 | 552 |
| 1916 | 514 |
| 1917 | 534 |
| 1918 | 588 |
| 1919 | 527 |
| 1920 | 523 |
| 1921 | 514 |
| 1922 | 485 |
| 1923 | 487 |
| 1924 | 505 |
| 1925 | 444 |
| 1926 | 436 |
| 1927 | 345 |
| 1928 | 405 |
| 1929 | 309 |
| 1930 | 326 |
| 1931 | 319 |
| 1932 | 296 |
| 1933 | 338 |
| 1934 | 395 |
| 1935 | 362 |
| 1936 | 346 |
| 1937 | 408 |
| 1938 | 376 |
| 1939 | 373 |
| 1940 | 365 |
| 1941 | 351 |
| 1942 | 330 |
| 1943 | 308 |
| 1944 | 306 |
| 1945 | 285 |
| 1946 | 324 |
| 1947 | 388 |
| 1948 | 387 |
| 1949 | 451 |
| 1950 | 442 |
| 1951 | 479 |
| 1952 | 496 |
| 1953 | 580 |
| 1954 | 558 |
| 1955 | 592 |
| 1956 | 668 |
| 1957 | 740 |
| 1958 | 667 |
| 1959 | 738 |
| 1960 | 772 |
| 1961 | 806 |
| 1962 | 983 |
| 1963 | 1,304 |
| 1964 | 1,422 |
| 1965 | 1,385 |
| 1966 | 1,378 |
| 1967 | 1,607 |
| 1968 | 1,621 |
| 1969 | 1,496 |
| 1970 | 1,681 |
| 1971 | 1,699 |
| 1972 | 1,601 |
| 1973 | 1,587 |
| 1974 | 1,850 |
| 1975 | 2,127 |
| 1976 | 2,278 |
| 1977 | 2,596 |
| 1978 | 2,718 |
| 1979 | 3,085 |
| 1980 | 3,658 |
| 1981 | 3,819 |
| 1982 | 3,782 |
| 1983 | 3,502 |
| 1984 | 3,545 |
| 1985 | 3,590 |
| 1986 | 3,471 |
| 1987 | 3,466 |
| 1988 | 3,571 |
| 1989 | 3,808 |
| 1990 | 3,933 |
| 1991 | 3,824 |
| 1992 | 3,438 |
| 1993 | 3,419 |
| 1994 | 3,205 |
| 1995 | 3,279 |
| 1996 | 3,327 |
| 1997 | 3,203 |
| 1998 | 3,223 |
| 1999 | 3,288 |
| 2000 | 3,405 |
| 2001 | 3,528 |
| 2002 | 3,609 |
| 2003 | 3,930 |
| 2004 | 4,759 |
| 2005 | 4,614 |
| 2006 | 4,665 |
| 2007 | 4,555 |
| 2008 | 5,645 |
| 2009 | 6,799 |
| 2010 | 6,551 |
| 2011 | 6,410 |
| 2012 | 5,784 |
| 2013 | 5,622 |
| 2014 | 5,617 |
| 2015 | 5,633 |
| 2016 | 5,439 |
| 2017 | 5,209 |
| 2018 | 5,045 |
| 2019 | 4,789 |
| 2020 | 4,537 |
| 2021 | 4,474 |
| 2022 | 4,199 |
| 2023 | 3,973 |
| 2024 | 3,969 |
Leah through the decades
- Leah peaked in 2009, when 6,799 babies were named Leah in the US.
- The 2010s were Leah's strongest decade, averaging 5,610 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Leah has fallen 16% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Leah currently ranks #53 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Lea
Variants & spellings
LeaLeia
Famous people named Leah
- Leah Remini — actress