Leiya
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly related to the Arabic "layla" meaning "night".
Name Census estimates that about 323 living Americans carry the first name Leiya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leiya today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leiya births was 2007 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leiya. 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
323
~ 1 in 1,061,159 Americans
Peak year
2007
19 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,783
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Leiya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leiya from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 136 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Leiya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leiya 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 Leiya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leiyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Leiya
The name Leiya is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language. It is derived from the Arabic word "layla," which means "night" or "dark beauty." This name has been popular in the Middle Eastern region for centuries.
The earliest recorded use of the name Leiya can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the Islamic Golden Age. It was a common name among Arab women during this time period. The name is mentioned in several ancient Arabic texts and poetry, often used to describe a beautiful and mysterious woman.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Leiya was Leiya bint Al-Amin, a renowned poet who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century CE. She was known for her eloquent verses and was highly respected in the literary circles of her time.
Another notable figure was Leiya Al-Andalusiya, a 10th-century Muslim scholar and writer from Islamic Spain (Al-Andalus). She was renowned for her contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy.
In the 12th century, Leiya Al-Hamdaniya was a famous female physician and philosopher from Damascus. She wrote several treatises on medicine and philosophy and was considered a pioneering figure in her field.
During the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, Leiya Sultan was a prominent figure in the imperial court. She was the daughter of Sultan Selim II and played an influential role in the politics of the time.
In more recent history, Leiya Gailani was an Iraqi archaeologist and historian who lived from 1892 to 1976. She was a pioneer in the field of Iraqi archaeology and played a significant role in preserving the country's cultural heritage.
While the name Leiya has its roots in the Arabic language, it has also been adopted and used in various cultures and regions over time, particularly in the Middle East and parts of North Africa. Its popularity has endured due to its beautiful meaning and rich cultural heritage.
People
Leiya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leiya 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
Leiya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leiya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 323 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leiya 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 1,061,159 US residents.
Is Leiya a common name?
We classify Leiya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 327 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leiya most popular?
The single biggest year for Leiya was 2007, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leiya is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leiya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leiya 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.