Leighana
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the English surname Leigh.
Name Census estimates that about 342 living Americans carry the first name Leighana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leighana today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leighana births was 2012 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leighana. 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
342
~ 1 in 1,002,206 Americans
Peak year
2012
23 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,846
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Leighana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leighana from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 153 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leighana 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 Leighana 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 Leighana
The name Leighana is of English origin, derived from the combination of two Old English words: "leigh," meaning a meadow or clearing, and "ana," which was a common suffix used to form feminine names. This suggests the name may have initially been associated with women who lived in or near meadows or open fields.
Leighana is a relatively modern variation of the more traditional English name Liana or Leana, which can be traced back to the Middle Ages. While there are no known direct references to the name Leighana in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the root words "leigh" and "ana" have been used in various forms throughout English history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of a similar name is Leana, a Saxon princess who lived in the 7th century AD. She was known for her piety and was later canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Another notable figure was Liana de Bellefont, a French noblewoman from the 12th century, who was renowned for her literary works and patronage of the arts.
In the 16th century, there was a Leana Randolph, an English courtier and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I. She was known for her wit and intelligence, and played a prominent role in the queen's court.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Liana Stern was a German writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and education. She published several influential works on gender equality and social reform.
Finally, in the 20th century, Leana Poletti was an Italian painter and sculptor who gained recognition for her vibrant and avant-garde works, which often explored themes of femininity and identity.
While these examples are not direct references to the name Leighana, they illustrate the historical roots and variations of the name, which ultimately led to the modern spelling and pronunciation we recognize today.
People
Leighana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leighana 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
Leighana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leighana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 342 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leighana 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 1,002,206 US residents.
Is Leighana a common name?
We classify Leighana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 347 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leighana most popular?
The single biggest year for Leighana was 2012, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leighana is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leighana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leighana 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.