Leasha
A feminine Arabic name meaning "playful, vivacious, lively, or carefree."
Name Census estimates that about 276 living Americans carry the first name Leasha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leasha today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leasha births was 1962 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leasha. 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.
People living today
276
~ 1 in 1,241,864 Americans
Peak year
1962
20 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1999 SSA rank
#10,950
Tracked since 1960
Popularity
Leasha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leasha from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 111 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Leasha remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leasha 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 Leasha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leashas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Leasha
The name Leasha finds its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language, emerging during the medieval period in the highlands of Scotland. It is derived from the Gaelic word "leas," meaning "meadow" or "pasture." The name was initially a descriptive term referring to someone who lived near or worked in a meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leasha can be found in the annals of the Clan MacLeod, a prominent Scottish clan from the Isle of Skye. In the 14th century, a woman named Leasha MacLeod was mentioned as a prominent figure within the clan, known for her wisdom and leadership qualities.
During the 16th century, the name Leasha gained popularity among the Scottish nobility. Lady Leasha Stewart, born in 1542, was a prominent figure at the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. She was known for her exceptional skills in embroidery and her involvement in the cultural affairs of the Scottish Renaissance.
In the 17th century, the name Leasha crossed over to Ireland, where it was adopted by Irish families with Scottish roots. One notable figure was Leasha O'Brien, born in 1675, who was a celebrated poet and writer during the Irish literary revival.
As the Scottish and Irish diasporas spread around the world, the name Leasha traveled with them. In the 19th century, Leasha Campbell, born in 1823, was a pioneering educator in Canada, establishing several schools for children in remote areas of the country.
Another notable bearer of the name was Leasha Mackenzie, born in 1887, a Scottish suffragette and activist who fought tirelessly for women's rights and the right to vote in the early 20th century.
While the name Leasha has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by remarkable individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from literature and education to activism and cultural preservation.
People
Leasha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leasha 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
Leasha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leasha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 276 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leasha 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 1,241,864 US residents.
Is Leasha a common name?
We classify Leasha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 309 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leasha most popular?
The single biggest year for Leasha was 1962, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leasha is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leasha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leasha 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.