Leia

Leia: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “uncertain; often used as a form of Leah”
Origin: Unknown
Say it: LAY-uh · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

Popularized by the Star Wars character Princess Leia. It is often treated as a variant of Leah, but this exact form's etymology is not fully certain. The origin of this name is not settled among etymologists.

American names Names meaning royalty Modern names Literary names

How popular is Leia?

2024329 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Leia in 20241,094

2024 rank#290 girls

Peak year2023

Total US babies since 188017,736

Leia is rising: use over the last five years is 2.9× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Leia

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Leahweary; uncertain · Hebrew
Liaweary · Hebrew
Leameadow · English
Liahweary; or God is my Lord · Hebrew
Leighameadow · English
Avauncertain; possibly bird or life · Unknown
Mayauncertain; often illusion or water · Unknown
Ailanyuncertain · Unknown

Leia questions

What does the name Leia mean?

Leia means "uncertain; often used as a form of Leah". It comes from Unknown. Popularized by the Star Wars character Princess Leia. It is often treated as a variant of Leah, but this exact form's etymology is not fully certain.

Is Leia a boy or girl name?

Leia is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Leia?

1,094 US babies were named Leia in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.

How do you pronounce Leia?

Leia is usually pronounced LAY-uh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.