Leeba
An Arabic feminine name meaning "originating from incense or musk".
Name Census estimates that about 428 living Americans carry the first name Leeba. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leeba today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leeba births was 2022 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leeba. 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
428
~ 1 in 800,828 Americans
Peak year
2022
39 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,073
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Leeba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leeba from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 188 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leeba 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 Leeba during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leebas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Leeba
The name Leeba is believed to have its origins in the Middle East, particularly in the Arabic language. It is a variation of the name Laiba or Leba, which means "lioness" or "female lion". The name is thought to have been derived from the Arabic word "leb" or "lebu", meaning lion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leeba can be found in ancient Arabic poetry and literature, where it was used to describe a strong, courageous woman with a fierce spirit, drawing parallels to the lioness. The name gained popularity in the region during the medieval period and was often given to girls as a symbol of strength and resilience.
In the 12th century, the name Leeba was mentioned in the writings of the renowned Arab philosopher and polymath, Ibn Rushd, also known as Averroes. He referenced a woman named Leeba in one of his philosophical works, describing her as a learned and wise individual.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Leeba. One of the earliest recorded examples is Leeba al-Andalusiya, a 10th-century Arab poet and scholar from the Iberian Peninsula. She was renowned for her contributions to Arabic literature and her mastery of various poetic forms.
Another prominent figure with the name Leeba was Leeba al-Basriya, a 9th-century Sufi mystic and scholar from Basra, modern-day Iraq. She was known for her devotion to spiritual pursuits and her teachings on the path to enlightenment.
In the 13th century, Leeba al-Baghdadiya was a celebrated calligrapher and artist from Baghdad. Her intricate calligraphic works adorned many important manuscripts and buildings of the time, and she was renowned for her exceptional skill and artistry.
During the Ottoman Empire, Leeba Hatun was a 16th-century Ottoman princess and philanthropist. She was known for her charitable works and her patronage of educational institutions, contributing to the cultural and intellectual development of the empire.
In more recent times, Leeba Siegel was a 20th-century American artist and sculptor, best known for her abstract metal sculptures and her contributions to the Modernist movement in art.
People
Leeba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leeba 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
Leeba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leeba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 428 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leeba 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 800,828 US residents.
Is Leeba a common name?
We classify Leeba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 432 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leeba most popular?
The single biggest year for Leeba was 2022, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leeba is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leeba a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leeba 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.