The first name Leia
A girl’s name.
Pronounced /ˈleɪ̯.ə/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
From the name of a princess in the American fantasy film Star Wars (1977).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 95 girls were named Leia, making it the 426th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2022, with 168 births (#272).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Leia with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Leia at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,033 girls born in the United States were named Leia, the 297th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 2023, when 1,424 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Questions
- What does the name Leia mean?
- From the name of a princess in the American fantasy film Star Wars (1977).
- How popular is the name Leia?
- In 2025, 95 girls born in England and Wales were named Leia, ranking 426th. Its peak was 2022, with 168 births.
- Is Leia a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 18,778 US babies named Leia since 1880 were girls.
- When was Leia most popular?
- 2023 in the United States, when 1,424 babies were named Leia, its highest rank at 211th.
- How do you pronounce Leia?
- Leia is /ˈleɪ̯.ə/, 2 syllables.