Given name
Leia
“child of heaven; adorned with heavenly flowers”·“languid”
Leia is a variant of Leilani. One Hawaiian interpretation is “child of heaven; adorned with heavenly flowers.” Leia is a variant of Leah. One interpretation is “languid.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Leia is a variant of Leilani. One Hawaiian interpretation is “child of heaven; adorned with heavenly flowers.” Leia is a variant of Leah. One interpretation is “languid.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Leia is a variant of Leilani. An origin associated with Leilani is Hawaiian. Leia is a variant of Leah. An origin associated with Leah is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1949. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Leia is a variant of Leah. The history of Leah gives this family its wider story. In biblical tradition, Leah is the name of the elder sister of Rachel.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Leia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 18,778
- 0 boys · 18,778 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 1,424 babies
- 2025
- 1,033
- #297 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +9%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,033 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 297 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 9.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (242). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,311 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Leia’s family of names
Leia has a related form in Leah. Leia has a related form in Leilani.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Leia
- Leia DongueMozambican basketball player (born 1991)
- Léia ScheinvarBrazilian-Mexican botanistborn 1930
Characters named Leia: Princess Leia (Star Wars).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Leia, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Devorah
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>99% girls
Dani
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>99% girls
Iza
Iza is a feminine given name from Polish, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew. It is used in Polish, Hungarian, and Slovak.
3% boys · 97% girls
Léa
“languid”
>99% girls