Leyna
An Arabic feminine name meaning "tender and delicate".
Name Census estimates that about 2,083 living Americans carry the first name Leyna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leyna today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leyna births was 2006 (117 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leyna. 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
2.1K
~ 1 in 164,548 Americans
Peak year
2006
117 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,075
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Leyna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leyna from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 764 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Leyna remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leyna 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 Leyna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leynas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Leyna, while Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 51 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leyna
The name Leyna finds its origins in the Persian language, with roots tracing back to the ancient Persia region of the Middle East. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries CE.
The name Leyna is derived from the Persian word "Leyna," which means "soft" or "gentle." It was likely given to newborn girls as a symbolic representation of their anticipated gentle and nurturing nature. The name's spelling has remained relatively consistent throughout history, with minor variations such as "Laina" or "Layna" appearing in certain regions.
Historical records suggest that the name Leyna appeared in various Persian literary works and manuscripts from the medieval era. It was particularly popular among the nobility and upper classes of Persian society during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leyna can be found in the Persian epic poem "Shahnameh" (Book of Kings), written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century CE. The poem features a character named Leyna, although the specific details surrounding her role are not widely known.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Leyna. One such person was Leyna al-Qarawi (1090-1165 CE), a renowned Persian scholar and poet who made significant contributions to the fields of literature and philosophy during the Islamic Golden Age.
Another famous Leyna was Leyna Bint Al-Husayn (1150-1220 CE), a highly respected Islamic scholar and teacher from the Abbasid Caliphate. She was known for her extensive knowledge of Quranic studies and Islamic jurisprudence.
In the realm of art and literature, Leyna Khayri (1870-1948) was a celebrated Egyptian painter and writer who played a pivotal role in the cultural renaissance of Egypt during the early 20th century.
Moving forward in time, Leyna Bloom (born in 1993) is a contemporary American actress and model who has gained recognition for her activism and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
Lastly, Leyna Gandelman (1944-2021) was a prominent French-Israeli sculptor and visual artist known for her abstract and minimalist works, which have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.
While these are just a few examples, the name Leyna has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, each leaving their unique mark in various fields and cultures.
People
Leyna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leyna 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
Leyna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leyna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,083 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leyna 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 164,548 US residents.
Is Leyna a common name?
We classify Leyna as "Rare". It ranks above 93.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,120 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leyna most popular?
The single biggest year for Leyna was 2006, when 117 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leyna is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leyna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leyna 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.