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Leia as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Leia

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The baby name Leia is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced LAY-uh (/ˈleɪə/),LEE-uh (/ˈliːə/).

Leia is Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: LAY-uh (/ˈleɪə/),LEE-uh (/ˈliːə/)

What is the meaning of the name Leia ?

The baby name Leia is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced LAY-uh (/ˈleɪə/),LEE-uh (/ˈliːə/).

Leia is Hebrew in Origin.

Leia is chiefly a modern spelling related to Leah, the biblical matriarch and first wife of Jacob, from Hebrew Le’ah. Scholars debate the root: it may derive from an Akkadian word for ‘cow’ or ‘wild ox,’ later understood in Hebrew as ‘weary.’ Through Christian naming traditions the form spread across Europe; Portuguese uses Léia, while French Léa and Italian/Spanish Lea are close cognates. In modern use, Leia can also be a phonetic variant of Lia or a clipped form of -lia names such as Aurelia, Cornelia, or Ophelia.

The name existed in small numbers before the 20th century, but leapt into wider currency after Princess Leia debuted in Star Wars (1977). Since then it has charted in the United States, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Latin America. Variants and related forms include Leia, Léia, Leïa, Leya, Leja, Leah, Lea, Léa, and Lia. Common pronunciations: LAY-uh (English), LÉ-ya (Portuguese/Spanish).

Leia has the following similar or variant Names

Leia – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 874
Germany Girls 2025 #1 411
Sweden Girls 2022 #33 270 1,568
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
AF Girls 0 #94 1 2,402
PH 0 #107 4 5,607
Switzerland Girls 2024 #109 27 1,786
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
IQ 0 #133 1 3,533
EE Girls 0 #141 2 1,888
MT Girls 0 #152 2 3,773
PR Girls 0 #167 1 3,171
Belgium Girls 2024 #168 18 424
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
Canada Girls 2024 #180 108 2,795
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
AO Girls 0 #196 14 4,575
HU Girls 0 #222 4 3,308
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
PT 0 #248 3 4,161
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
JP Girls 0 #250 2 6,592
United States Girls 2024 #260 1,094 8,487
MO Girls 0 #262 2 7,056
SG 0 #278 5 11,010
IL 0 #281 2 6,291
TW Girls 0 #288 2 8,139
HR Girls 0 #291 4 3,687
BR 0 #327 19 5,969
PE 0 #327 3 6,350
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
JO Girls 0 #339 1 7,570
France Girls 2021 #346 60 3,185
MY 0 #349 6 12,352
CZ Girls 0 #350 2 5,378
CN Girls 0 #357 3 8,829
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
SD Girls 0 #357 2 7,678
BR Girls 0 #359 1,061 12,708
MU Girls 0 #360 3 8,539
PL Girls 0 #363 2 5,096
PT Boys 0 #381 1 7,951
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
OM Girls 0 #423 2 15,987
PT Girls 0 #423 29 7,952
PH Girls 0 #424 6 13,098
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
MX 0 #445 1 8,339
ZA 0 #472 3 14,421
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
IQ Girls 0 #492 13 11,303
CO 0 #510 1 7,768
PA Girls 0 #517 2 9,861
RU Girls 0 #517 7 11,913
UY Girls 0 #529 8 6,731
IR Girls 0 #543 3 8,334
PS Girls 0 #545 3 10,981
KW Girls 0 #558 4 19,177
SG Girls 0 #560 27 18,916
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
CR Girls 0 #572 2 11,342
BH 0 #587 1 17,937
AE Girls 0 #595 3 20,968
Finland Girls 2026 #597 149 3,895
IL Boys 0 #625 1 10,983
AR Girls 0 #626 5 8,289
IL Girls 0 #637 9 11,648
BO Girls 0 #643 9 9,488
HK Girls 0 #643 8 16,104
LB 0 #648 11 13,263
IN Girls 0 #654 1 13,121
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
SY 0 #719 10 11,684
BR Boys 0 #734 18 12,213
Germany Girls 0 #808 31 4,949
CL Girls 0 #832 20 14,098
TN 0 #864 2 13,765
PE Girls 0 #919 25 14,861
Spain Girls 0 #925 59 5,561
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
NL Girls 0 #946 10 5,933
MY Girls 0 #963 32 24,821
EG Girls 0 #1,004 6 14,742
SA Girls 0 #1,006 9 25,931
CO Girls 0 #1,068 11 16,140
ZA Girls 0 #1,130 12 25,928
AE Boys 0 #1,143 1 22,615
MX Girls 0 #1,169 15 17,781
MY Boys 0 #1,181 2 25,439
MA 0 #1,194 6 20,986
DZ 0 #1,231 4 20,130
TR 0 #1,253 2 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,398 49 9,415

Leia is popular in 65 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
Scotland, United Kingdom
Ireland
United States

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People also ask about Leia

Leia is predominantly a girl's name.
Leia is a 2 syllable name, pronounced LAY-uh (/ˈleɪə/),LEE-uh (/ˈliːə/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Leah, Lea, Léa, Lia, Laia and Leya.
Across languages, Leia has these equivalents: Léa (French), Lea / Lía (Spanish), Lia (Italian/Portuguese).
Yes, very popular — Leia ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Leia ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Leia's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.