Girl · #5,981 in 2026

Leelah

Leelah Alcorn was an American transgender girl whose suicide attracted international attention. Prior to her death, she had posted a suicide note to her Tumblr blog about societal standards affecting transgender people and expressing the hope that her death would create a dialogue about discrimination, abuse, and lack of support for transgender people.

Current Rank
#5,981
Peak Rank
#4,356 (2018)
Total Babies
466
5-Yr Trend
-15%
2000
First Year
2026
Last Year
2018
Peak Year
#4356
Peak Rank
466
Total Count
26
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Leelah

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

Leelah Alcorn was an American transgender girl whose suicide attracted international attention. Prior to her death, she had posted a suicide note to her Tumblr blog about societal standards affecting transgender people and expressing the hope that her death would create a dialogue about discrimination, abuse, and lack of support for transgender people.

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

The Story of Leelah

Leelah first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 2000, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2018, when 32 Leelahs were born — ranking #4,356 that year. As of 2026, Leelah ranks #5,981 for baby girls with 20 births, gradually falling (-15%). In total, more than 466 Leelahs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2000s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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No data

Names that sound like Leelah

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

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Leelah

What does the name Leelah mean?
Leelah Alcorn was an American transgender girl whose suicide attracted international attention. Prior to her death, she had posted a suicide note to her Tumblr blog about societal standards affecting transgender people and expressing the hope that her death would create a dialogue about discrimination, abuse, and lack of support for transgender people.
How popular is Leelah in 2026?
In 2026, Leelah ranks #5,981 among girls' names in the U.S., with 20 babies given the name that year.
When was Leelah most popular?
Leelah reached its peak popularity in 2018, ranking #4,356 that year with 32 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Leelah most popular?
Leelah has historically been most popular in California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Leelah.
Is Leelah a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Leelah is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Leelah?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Leelah include Annali, Amilliana, Edison. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Annali
Peak #4356
👧
Amilliana
Peak #4356
👧
Edison
Peak #4356
👧
Tulip
Peak #4356
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Kaizlee
Peak #4356
👧
Damiana
Peak #4357
👧
Norvella
Peak #4355
👧
Jacqulene
Peak #4355

About the name Leelah

Leelah is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2000 and has accumulated 466 births in the dataset. Leelah's peak popularity came in 2018 when it ranked #4,356. Use the chart and map above to compare Leelah'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.