Leah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "weary" or "tired".
Name Census estimates that about 225,020 living Americans carry the first name Leah. It sits at #53 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leah today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leah births was 2009 (6,799 babies). In terms of living bearers, it sits close to Arthur (223,751).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Leah is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 467 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
225K
~ 1 in 1,523 Americans
Peak year
2009
6,799 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2022 SSA rank
#53
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Leah
Out of the 253,034 babies given the name Leah since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Leah as a male name
- Ranked #11,708 in 2022
- 6 male births in 2022
- Peak: 1989 (24 births)
Leah as a female name
- Ranked #53 in 2024
- 3,969 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (6,790 births)
Popularity
Leah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leah from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 56,099 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Leah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Leah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Leah, while Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 4,817 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leah
The name Leah has its origins in the Hebrew language. It is derived from the Hebrew word "le'ah," which means "weary" or "tired." The name first appears in the Old Testament of the Bible, where Leah is the first wife of Jacob.
Leah was the daughter of Laban and the mother of six sons and one daughter. According to the biblical account, Leah was not initially loved by Jacob, as he preferred her younger sister Rachel. However, Leah became the mother of many of the tribes of Israel, including Judah, from whom the Jewish people trace their ancestry.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Leah outside of the Bible is found in ancient Greek inscriptions from around the 5th century BCE. This suggests that the name was known and used in the ancient Mediterranean world.
Throughout history, there have been several notable women named Leah. One of the most famous was Leah Goldberg (1911-1970), an Israeli poet, novelist, and playwright who was a leading figure in modern Hebrew literature. Her works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
Another notable Leah was Leah Ainslie (1883-1964), a British suffragette and activist who fought for women's rights and played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom.
In the realm of science, Leah Edelstein-Keshet (born 1953) is a renowned Canadian mathematician and scientist known for her contributions to the field of mathematical biology.
Leah Chase (1923-2019) was an influential American chef and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in the desegregation of restaurants in New Orleans during the civil rights movement.
Leah Baird (1883-1971) was an American actress, director, and screenwriter who was one of the first women to direct feature films in Hollywood during the silent era.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Leah. The name continues to be popular across various cultures and regions, carrying with it a rich history and significance.
People
Leah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Leah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 225,020 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,523 US residents.
Is Leah a common name?
We classify Leah as "Common". It ranks above 99.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 253,034 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leah most popular?
The single biggest year for Leah was 2009, when 6,799 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leah is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leah a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Leah in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.