Leiah
Leiah was the 4309th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 33 babies. Its best year was 2012, when it ranked 2392nd with 78 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,071 places. More babies were named Leiah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Leia) invented for Star Wars (1977) · American English
- Rank in 2025
- #4,309 girls, down 993 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 33girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201278 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,438babies recorded
What does the name Leiah mean?
Leiah is a spelling of Leia, pronounced the same way, so it shares Leia's meaning and origin.
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
Leiah popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,309 | 33 |
| 2020 | #3,316 | 47 |
| 2010 | #2,629 | 69 |
| 2000 | #8,911 | 11 |
| 1990 | #6,317 | 14 |
| 1980 | #5,115 | 14 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Leiah, counting every spelling?
Leiah is a spelling of Leia, a name family that ranked #264 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,309 for Leiah 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 Leiah?
33 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Leiah (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Leiah 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 253 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Leiah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Leiah?
About 1,400 people born in the US named Leiah are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 8 and 22. That makes Leiah mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Leiah by state
How common Leiah was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (2.1×), California (1.9×). In 48 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 Leiah: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Leiah, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Leiah
What does Leiah mean?
Leiah is a spelling of Leia, which means “invented for Star Wars (1977)” (American English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Leiah?
Leiah was the 4309th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 33 babies. Its best year was 2012, when it ranked 2392nd with 78 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,071 places. More babies were named Leiah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Leiah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Leiah in the US.
Where is Leiah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Leiah was most common in Texas (0.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Florida.