Girl · #843 in 2026

Lea

Name: Popularity of the name Lea in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Lea, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Lea is a feminine given name. In French, the name Léa is from the biblical name Leah. In Spanish, the same name is Lía, and in Italian, Lia. In English, it is a name for the word 'lea', pronounced [liː], meaning pasture or meadow.

Current Rank

#843

Peak Rank

#396 (1970)

Total Babies

34K

5-Yr Trend

-10%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1970

Peak Year

#396

Peak Rank

34K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Lea

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Lea

Lea first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1970, when 593 Leas were born — ranking #396 that year. As of 2026, Lea ranks #843 for baby girls with 323 births, gradually falling (-10%). In total, more than 34K Leas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Lea

Phonetically similar names — useful when Lea is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Lee
Li
Leigh
Lly
Lli
Lih
Lhi
Leih
Lieh
Hli
Law
Lay

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lea

What does the name Lea mean?

How popular is Lea in 2026?

In 2026, Lea ranks #843 among girls' names in the U.S., with 323 babies given the name that year.

When was Lea most popular?

Lea reached its peak popularity in 1970, ranking #396 that year with 593 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Lea most popular?

Lea has historically been most popular in New Hampshire, Hawaii, Montana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Lea.

Is Lea a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Lea is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Lea?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Lea include Lorine, Roslyn, Deena. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Lea

Lea is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 34K births in the dataset. Lea's peak popularity came in 1970 when it ranked #396. Use the chart and map above to compare Lea's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.