Lea
Lea was the 848th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 321 babies. Its best year was 1970, when it ranked 397th with 593 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 109 places. More babies were named Lea in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning form of Leah; or feminine of Leo · Hebrew, Latin, English
Say it LEE-uh /ˈliə/
- Rank in 2025
- #848 girls, down 97 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 321girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1970593 babies
- Total since 1880
- 34,468babies recorded
What does the name Lea mean?
Lea has more than one source. Wiktionary records it as a form of Leah, the biblical wife of Jacob, whose Hebrew name DMNES calls of uncertain origin; some interpret it as "wild cow." DMNES separately lists a medieval Lea as the feminine of Leo, lion, and warns that the two are unrelated even when spelled alike. Lea is also an English surname from Old English lēah, meadow. It has been used in the US since 1880.
לֵאָה (Biblical Hebrew, “Leah (uncertain)”)leo (Latin, “lion”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. DMNES: Leah of uncertain origin; Lea as feminine of Leo is a separate name.
Related names: Leah, Leia, Lia, Leona.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lea' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Lea', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Leah', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Lea popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 620 since 1890.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #848 | 321 |
| 2020 | #751 | 363 |
| 2010 | #569 | 514 |
| 2000 | #663 | 367 |
| 1990 | #516 | 466 |
| 1980 | #457 | 464 |
| 1970 | #397 | 593 |
| 1960 | #503 | 373 |
| 1950 | #704 | 149 |
| 1940 | #813 | 77 |
| 1930 | #813 | 76 |
| 1920 | #925 | 62 |
| 1910 | #904 | 23 |
| 1900 | #665 | 29 |
| 1890 | #777 | 13 |
| 1880 | #709 | 7 |
How popular is Lea, counting every spelling?
Lea is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #775 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #848 for Lea on its own. Together these spellings went to 352 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lea | 321 | #848 | 1,737 |
| Leigh | 31 | #4,504 | 215 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Lea?
321 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lea (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lea born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 26 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lea.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lea?
About 29,400 people born in the US named Lea are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 19 and 56. That makes Lea mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Lea by state
How common Lea was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (2.6×), New Jersey (2.5×), Connecticut (2.0×), Maryland (1.7×), California (1.6×). In 22 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lea: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lea, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lea · Sibling names for Lea
Questions about the name Lea
What does Lea mean?
Lea is usually explained as “form of Leah; or feminine of Leo”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Lea?
Lea was the 848th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 321 babies. Its best year was 1970, when it ranked 397th with 593 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 109 places. More babies were named Lea in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Lea a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lea in the US.
Where is Lea most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lea was most common in New York (0.55 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Jersey and Connecticut.