Leenah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "pleasing" or "delightful".
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the first name Leenah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leenah today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leenah births was 2010 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leenah. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Leenah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
200
~ 1 in 1,713,772 Americans
Peak year
2010
21 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,924
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Leenah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leenah 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 118 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Leenah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leenah 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 Leenah 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 Leenah
Leenah is a feminine given name of Arabic origin, derived from the root word "lana," which means "to bend" or "to twist." The name is believed to have been in use since ancient times in the Middle East and North Africa.
The earliest recorded use of the name Leenah can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the early Islamic era. It is mentioned in several historical texts and records from that period, including the works of renowned Arab scholars and poets.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Leenah was a prominent female poet from the Umayyad Caliphate, who lived in the late 7th century. Her poetry was widely acclaimed and celebrated for its eloquence and lyrical beauty.
In the 10th century, a renowned Islamic mystic and scholar named Leenah al-Baghdadi made significant contributions to the field of Sufism. Her writings and teachings on spiritual enlightenment and self-knowledge were highly influential during her lifetime and continue to be studied by scholars today.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from the 8th to the 13th century, a notable figure named Leenah al-Andalusi was a distinguished mathematician and astronomer. Her groundbreaking work on celestial calculations and astronomical tables earned her widespread recognition and respect among her contemporaries.
In the 14th century, a revered female scholar and jurist named Leenah al-Dimashqi gained prominence for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her efforts to promote women's education and empowerment. Her legacy as a trailblazer in the field of Islamic studies continues to inspire generations of scholars.
Throughout history, the name Leenah has been associated with various notable figures from different walks of life, including artists, poets, scholars, and leaders. Its enduring popularity across the Arab world and beyond serves as a testament to its rich cultural heritage and timeless appeal.
People
Leenah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leenah 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
Leenah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leenah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 200 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leenah 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 1,713,772 US residents.
Is Leenah a common name?
We classify Leenah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 202 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leenah most popular?
The single biggest year for Leenah was 2010, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leenah is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Leenah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leenah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leenah 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.
Is Leenah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leenah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Leenah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Leenah?
Want to know how many Americans are named Leenah? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.