Leata
A feminine name of Polynesian origin meaning "cheerful" or "pleasant".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Leata. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leata today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leata births was 1920 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leata. 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
- • The typical person named Leata is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Leatas were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Leata. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1920
9 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1950 SSA rank
#3,821
Tracked since 1897
Popularity
Leata: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leata from the 1890s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 26 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Leata remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leata 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 Leata during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leata
The name Leata is a variant of the Hawaiian name Leia. It is derived from the Hawaiian word "lei," which means "flower garland" or "wreath." The name likely originated in the Hawaiian Islands during the early centuries of the first millennium, when the Polynesian seafarers first settled in the region.
While the name Leata does not appear to have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is closely related to the name Leia, which has been used in Hawaiian culture for centuries. The earliest recorded examples of the name Leata can be traced back to the late 19th century, when Hawaiian names began to be more widely documented.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Leata was Leata Fuller, an American author and playwright who lived from 1909 to 1977. She was known for her works that explored themes of race, identity, and social justice.
Another notable individual with the name Leata was Leata Galloway, an American civil rights activist who lived from 1923 to 2008. She was a prominent figure in the fight for racial equality and desegregation in the United States during the mid-20th century.
In the realm of sports, Leata Awinyo was a Ugandan sprinter who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. She was born in 1952 and represented her country in the 100-meter and 200-meter events.
Leata Katene was a New Zealand politician who served as a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2005 to 2014. She was born in 1961 and was a member of the Maori Party, advocating for the rights and interests of the indigenous Maori people.
Lastly, Leata Laki was a Tongan artist and painter who lived from 1938 to 2018. She was renowned for her vibrant depictions of Tongan culture, traditions, and landscapes, and her works are celebrated both locally and internationally.
People
Leata + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leata 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
Leata: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leata?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leata 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Leata a common name?
We classify Leata as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 61 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leata most popular?
The single biggest year for Leata was 1920, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leata is about 79 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leata a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leata 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.