Girl's name
Leia
Say it LAY-uh
A modern coinage 2 syllables
Where Leia is loved, common and rare
Common in Sweden. Rare in Catalonia, Canada, France and 11 more places.
1 in 1,625 girls born in Ireland in 2025
Sweden 37thCatalonia 156thOntario 257th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 17 of the 40 official lists, among them Sweden (37th), Catalonia (156th) and Ontario (257th).
Show all 17 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 37th 2025 | 236 | about 1 in 170 |
| Catalonia region | 156th 2025 | 28 | 1 in 688 |
| Ontario province | 257th 2024 | 48 | about 1 in 1,135 |
| France as Leïa | 290th 2025 | 300 | 1 in 956 |
| British Columbia province | 294th 2023 | 11 | about 1 in 1,087 |
| Quebec province | 297th 2025 | 18 | about 1 in 1,445 |
| Ireland | 304th 2025 | 13 | 1 in 1,625 |
| Berlin city | 306th 2023 | 10 | about 1 in 1,450 |
| Cologne city | 308th 2023 | 3 | about 1 in 2,048 |
| Poland | 321st 2025 | 13 | 1 in 9,214 |
| Switzerland | 322nd 2025 | 29 | 1 in 1,172 |
| Scotland | 324th 2025 | 10 | 1 in 1,789 |
| England and Wales | 426th 2025 | 95 | 1 in 2,666 |
| The Netherlands | 477th 2025 | 26 | about 1 in 2,347 |
| Austria | 515th 2025 | 9 | 1 in 3,969 |
| Italy | 1116th 2024 | 8 | 1 in 22,396 |
| Leipzig city | 344th 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 2,624 |
Rare, below the listed names: Northern Ireland, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Munich, Bonn, Rostock, Norway, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
Leia is a modern coinage, taken from the name of the princess in the American film Star Wars, released in 1977. No further meaning is recorded, so the name is best understood through that origin.
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Two syllables, said LAY-uh, with the stress on the first. Leïa is a French spelling, and Leah, Lea, Leya, Laia and Lia are similar names.
Sweden is where it is most popular, and it is also used in Catalonia and France. In the English-speaking world it appears in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. French records show it peaking in 2023, and today it is rising in more regions than it is falling, so it is still a current choice.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- LAY-uh, 2 syllables
- Origin
- Newly coined
Counted together here: Leïa.
Etymology
From the name of a princess in the American fantasy film Star Wars (1977).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 6 of 15 regions, falling in 4.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 372 | 324 | 342 | 382 | 382 | 407 | 272 | 314 | 377 | 426 |
| Scotland | 210 | 229 | 301 | 237 | 257 | 339 | 248 | 250 | 315 | 324 |
| Northern Ireland | 440 | 355 | 434 | 336 | 246 | 298 | 305 | 264 | ||
| Ireland | 476 | 651 | 336 | 551 | 355 | 363 | 304 | 404 | 441 | 304 |
| Ontario | 289 | 233 | 177 | 330 | 303 | 187 | 255 | 168 | 257 | |
| British Columbia | 324 | 214 | 370 | 305 | 322 | 250 | 286 | 294 | ||
| Quebec | 287 | 163 | 234 | 370 | 239 | 204 | 291 | 282 | 254 | 297 |
| France | 492 | 364 | 308 | 363 | 333 | 344 | 263 | 235 | 270 | 290 |
| The Netherlands | 714 | 637 | 583 | 498 | 518 | 521 | 353 | 452 | 477 | |
| Austria | 468 | 433 | 354 | 874 | 529 | 597 | 474 | 407 | 504 | 515 |
| Switzerland | 424 | 316 | 342 | 471 | 392 | 289 | 299 | 205 | 265 | 322 |
| Berlin | 416 | 419 | 266 | 298 | 353 | 361 | 799 | 306 | ||
| Munich | 164 | 200 | ||||||||
| Cologne | 470 | 345 | 157 | 273 | 432 | 435 | 318 | 308 | ||
| Bonn | 314 | 168 | 371 | 357 | 264 | 380 | 362 | |||
| Leipzig | 375 | 257 | 263 | 186 | 265 | 201 | 357 | 344 | ||
| Rostock | 158 | |||||||||
| Sweden | 72 | 63 | 69 | 69 | 59 | 36 | 35 | 30 | 32 | 37 |
| Catalonia | 119 | 102 | 125 | 129 | 137 | 142 | 119 | 120 | 110 | 156 |
| Italy | 841 | 1856 | 1116 | |||||||
| Poland | 463 | 658 | 496 | 419 | 337 | 388 | 337 | 380 | 272 | 321 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 426 | 95 | 37.5 |
| 2024 | 377 | 114 | 44.2 |
| 2023 | 314 | 139 | 54.2 |
| 2022 | 272 | 168 | 63.8 |
| 2021 | 407 | 109 | 39.8 |
| 2020 | 382 | 115 | 42.8 |
| 2019 | 382 | 115 | 41.1 |
| 2018 | 342 | 140 | 48.6 |
| 2017 | 324 | 149 | 49.8 |
| 2016 | 372 | 123 | 40.0 |
| 2015 | 467 | 93 | 30.2 |
| 2014 | 563 | 75 | 24.5 |
| 2013 | 547 | 76 | 24.6 |
| 2012 | 587 | 72 | 22.4 |
| 2011 | 515 | 82 | 25.5 |
| 2010 | 538 | 74 | 23.1 |
| 2009 | 491 | 83 | 26.5 |
| 2008 | 527 | 73 | 23.1 |
| 2007 | 559 | 65 | 21.2 |
| 2006 | 533 | 68 | 22.7 |
| 2005 | 465 | 79 | 27.4 |
| 2004 | 626 | 48 | 16.8 |
| 2003 | 508 | 63 | 22.6 |
| 2002 | 450 | 70 | 26.2 |
| 2001 | 480 | 63 | 23.5 |
| 2000 | 485 | 61 | 22.3 |
| 1999 | 357 | 90 | 31.9 |
| 1998 | 425 | 72 | 24.9 |
| 1997 | 527 | 50 | 17.1 |
| 1996 | 620 | 39 | 13.2 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Leia in France since 1925 were born in or after 2016. First recorded in 1988. Her peak year there: 2023, at 124.2 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Leia per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2023 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Leia
1 in 743 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Leia.
1 in 1,195 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Leia.
1 in 924 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Leia.
1 in 859 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Leia.
1 in 2,556 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Leia.
1 in 1,457 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Leia.
1 in 607 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Leia.
1 in 636 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Leia.
1 in 662 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Leia.
1 in 1,627 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Leia. Same first letter as Leia.
Middle names for Leia
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Leia Grace
2-1 beats · initials LG
Changes the beat after Leia: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Leia Olivia
2-4 beats · initials LO · Leia slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Leia: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Leia slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Leia Rose
2-1 beats · initials LR
Changes the beat after Leia: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Leia Emily
2-3 beats · initials LE · Leia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Leia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Leia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Leia Julia
2-3 beats · initials LJ
Changes the beat after Leia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Leia Miriam
2-3 beats · initials LM
Changes the beat after Leia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Leia Charlotte
2-2 beats · initials LC
A close match on style, era and popularity. Same length as Leia: 2 syllables.
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
Leia Diana
2-3 beats · initials LD
Changes the beat after Leia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Leia
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 636 in England and Wales
95% alike: moves with Leia across countries and decades.
1 in 599 in England and Wales
95% alike: moves with Leia across countries and decades.
1 in 1,491 in Scotland
94% alike: moves with Leia across countries and decades.
1 in 1,457 in Northern Ireland
94% alike: moves with Leia across countries and decades.
1 in 473 in England and Wales
94% alike: moves with Leia across countries and decades.
1 in 924 in England and Wales
93% alike: moves with Leia across countries and decades.
1 in 852 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Leia across countries and decades.
1 in 778 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Leia across countries and decades.
Questions about Leia
4 questions, on how popular she is, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Leia?
Her best rank is No. 37 in Sweden in 2025, about 1 in 170 girls. She is in the published lists of 17 of our 40 regions.
How do you pronounce Leia?
LAY-uh, with 2 syllables.
Is Leia getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 6 of 15 regions, falling in 4.
Which sister names go with Leia?
The deck's top five sisters for Leia: Kiara, Aya, Noor, Inaya and Aliya. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.