Leia
Leia was the 297th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,033 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 211th with 1,424 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 123 places. More babies were named Leia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning invented for Star Wars (1977) · American English
Say it LAY-uh /ˈleɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #297 girls, down 1 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,033girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20231,424 babies
- Total since 1880
- 18,778babies recorded
What does the name Leia mean?
Leia is known as a name from the film Star Wars (1977), whose heroine is Princess Leia Organa, and Wiktionary records it as a coinage from the film. SSA data show a few US girls named Leia before 1977, so in the US the film popularized the name rather than inventing it. It is close in form to the biblical Leah (Hebrew Le'ah, of debated meaning) and to the Hawaiian lei, "garland", but there is no documented derivation from either.
How sure is this? Probable. The film is the documented source of the modern name; earlier rare US uses have no recorded origin.
Other explanations you may read: Hawaiian for 'flower garland' (lei).
See also: American names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Leia', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
Leia popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #297 | 1,033 |
| 2020 | #296 | 1,088 |
| 2010 | #834 | 323 |
| 2000 | #1,498 | 123 |
| 1990 | #1,982 | 69 |
| 1980 | #923 | 162 |
| 1970 | #2,991 | 23 |
| 1960 | #6,884 | 5 |
| 1950 | #5,726 | 5 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Leia, counting every spelling?
Leia is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #264 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #297 for Leia on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,294 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leia | 1,033 | #297 | 5,850 |
| Laya | 137 | #1,543 | 503 |
| Laia | 85 | #2,182 | 499 |
| Leiah | 33 | #4,309 | 209 |
| Laiah | 6 | #14,145 | 74 |
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 Leia?
1,033 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Leia (0.29 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Leia 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 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Leia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Leia?
About 18,600 people born in the US named Leia are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 4 and 16. That makes Leia a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Leia by state
How common Leia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (9.3×), New Mexico (3.3×), Nevada (2.4×), California (2.0×), Arizona (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nebraska, Idaho, West Virginia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Leia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Leia, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Leia · Sibling names for Leia
Questions about the name Leia
What does Leia mean?
Leia means “invented for Star Wars (1977)” (American English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Leia?
Leia was the 297th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,033 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 211th with 1,424 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 123 places. More babies were named Leia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Leia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Leia in the US.
Where is Leia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Leia was most common in Hawaii (6.72 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Mexico and Nevada.