Leigh
Leigh was the 4504th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 31 babies. Its best year was 1969, when it ranked 201st with 1,564 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,088 places. More babies were named Leigh in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Lea) form of Leah; or feminine of Leo · Hebrew, Latin, English
- Rank in 2025
- #4,504 girls, down 690 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 31girls
- Girls and boys
- 94% girls, 6% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19691,564 babies
- Total since 1880
- 45,349babies recorded
What does the name Leigh mean?
Leigh is a spelling of Lea, pronounced the same way, so it shares Lea's meaning and origin.
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)
Leigh popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,504 | — | 31 | — |
| 2020 | #3,814 | #8,467 | 38 | 9 |
| 2010 | #3,285 | #9,331 | 50 | 8 |
| 2000 | #1,499 | #5,210 | 123 | 14 |
| 1990 | #468 | #2,467 | 523 | 28 |
| 1980 | #218 | #1,151 | 1,176 | 63 |
| 1970 | #213 | #864 | 1,483 | 87 |
| 1960 | #345 | #847 | 770 | 80 |
| 1950 | #662 | #769 | 166 | 80 |
| 1940 | #1,453 | #769 | 28 | 65 |
| 1930 | #2,490 | #1,207 | 13 | 35 |
| 1920 | #3,479 | #1,266 | 9 | 33 |
| 1910 | — | #1,516 | — | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Leigh, counting every spelling?
Leigh is a spelling of Lea, a name family that ranked #775 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,504 for Leigh 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 Leigh?
31 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Leigh (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Leigh 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 270 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Leigh.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Leigh?
About 36,600 people born in the US named Leigh are alive today, with a median age of 52; half are between 43 and 60. That makes Leigh mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Leigh by state
How common Leigh was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. 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 Leigh: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Leigh, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Leigh
What does Leigh mean?
Leigh is a spelling of Lea, usually explained as “form of Leah; or feminine of Leo”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Leigh?
Leigh was the 4504th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 31 babies. Its best year was 1969, when it ranked 201st with 1,564 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,088 places. More babies were named Leigh in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Leigh a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 94% girls, 6% boys given the name Leigh in the US.
Where is Leigh most popular?
In 2021–2025, Leigh was most common in Texas (0.03 per 1,000 girls), followed by Georgia and Pennsylvania.