Leia
Leia is a variant of the Hebrew Leah, meaning languid in several languages, including Koine Greek and Portuguese. It is commonly used in reference to Leia Organa, a character from the Star Wars franchise who first appeared in the film Star Wars: A New Hope (1977). In the film, Leia is a princess from the fictional planet Alderaan. She marries Han Solo, and becomes the mother of Kylo Ren.
Meaning & Origin of Leia
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Leia is a variant of the Hebrew Leah, meaning languid in several languages, including Koine Greek and Portuguese. It is commonly used in reference to Leia Organa, a character from the Star Wars franchise who first appeared in the film Star Wars: A New Hope (1977). In the film, Leia is a princess from the fictional planet Alderaan. She marries Han Solo, and becomes the mother of Kylo Ren.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Leia
Leia first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1949, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2023, when 1,424 Leias were born — ranking #211 that year. As of 2026, Leia ranks #256 for baby girls with 1,239 births, gradually rising (+15%). In total, more than 20K Leias have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1940s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Leia
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Leia Dongue (born 1991), Mozambican basketball player
- Léia Scheinvar (born 1954), Brazilian-Mexican botanist
- Leia Stirling (born 1981), American academic, Charles Stark Draper Professor of Aeronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-director of the human systems laboratory
- Leia Zhu (born 2006), British-Chinese classical violinist
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Leia
Phonetically similar names — useful when Leia 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 Leia
What does the name Leia mean?
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About the name Leia
Leia is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1949 and has accumulated 20K births in the dataset. Leia's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #211. Use the chart and map above to compare Leia's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2023 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.