Girl's name
Lia
Say it LEE-uh
Roots in Hebrew and Italian cow
2 syllables
Where Lia is loved, common and rare
Loved in Switzerland and one more place. Common across five German cities, Israel, Spain and three more places. Rare in Italy, Sweden, Canada and six more places.
1 in 960 girls born in Ireland in 2025
Switzerland 8thIsrael 12thCologne 12th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 24 of the 40 official lists, among them Switzerland (8th), Israel (12th) and Cologne (12th).
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| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 8th 2025 | 244 | 1 in 139 |
| Israel ליה | 12th 2024 | 986 | about 1 in 80 |
| Cologne city | 12th 2023 | 43 | about 1 in 143 |
| Catalonia region | 16th 2025 | 205 | 1 in 94 |
| Berlin city | 17th 2023 | 94 | about 1 in 154 |
| Munich city | 26th 2025 | 39 | about 1 in 107 |
| Slovenia | 30th 2025 | 54 | about 1 in 122 |
| Austria | 34th 2025 | 200 | 1 in 179 |
| Spain | 41st 2024 | 740 | rank only |
| Hungary | 81st 2025 | 127 | rank only |
| Italy | 128th 2024 | 205 | 1 in 874 |
| Sweden | 163rd 2025 | 56 | about 1 in 717 |
| Quebec province | 171st 2025 | 33 | about 1 in 788 |
| Poland | 187th 2025 | 45 | 1 in 2,662 |
| Ireland | 196th 2025 | 22 | 1 in 960 |
| British Columbia province | 203rd 2023 | 15 | about 1 in 797 |
| Ontario province | 219th 2024 | 55 | about 1 in 990 |
| The Netherlands | 293rd 2025 | 49 | about 1 in 1,245 |
| France | 315th 2025 | 190 | 1 in 1,509 |
| Scotland | 387th 2025 | 8 | 1 in 2,236 |
| England and Wales | 434th 2025 | 93 | 1 in 2,723 |
| Rostock city | 2nd 2025 | 15 | about 1 in 66 |
| Bonn city | 11th 2025 | 22 | about 1 in 137 |
| Leipzig city | 22nd 2025 | 15 | about 1 in 175 |
Rare, below the listed names: Northern Ireland, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand and Norway.
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.
Israel publishes names in Hebrew script. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) (Israel); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Statistični urad Republike Slovenije (SURS), SiStat (Slovenia); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) (Spain); Belügyminisztérium, Nyilvántartások (kormany.hu) (Hungary); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
Lia is the Italian form of Leah, passing through the Latin Lia from the Hebrew Le'a, the name of Jacob's first wife in Genesis. The Hebrew name is read as 'cow', an old word that links Lia to one of the best-known families of the Bible.
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LEE-uh is two short syllables, light and quick, and it is spelled as it sounds. Lea, Lya, Leia and Liya are close relatives, so the name is easy to recognise across many languages.
Lia is popular in Switzerland, Israel and Catalonia, where it ranks in the top twenty, and it is rising in a dozen countries. In the English-speaking world it is more modest, most used in Quebec, Ireland and British Columbia. In France it reached its highest point so far in 2023.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- LEE-uh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
cow
- Origin
- Hebrew and Italian
- Other spellings
- Lea
- Lya
- Laia
- Liya
- Leia
- Lija
- Liia
- Alia
- Olimpia
- Olimpiada
Etymology
Italian, from Latin Lia, from Hebrew Le'a (Leah); Biblical Hebrew Le'a is glossed as "cow".
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 12 of 24 regions, falling in 2.
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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 | 553 | 391 | 507 | 439 | 399 | 383 | 442 | 366 | 491 | 434 |
| Scotland | 453 | 275 | 415 | 376 | 370 | 339 | 418 | 281 | 384 | 387 |
| Northern Ireland | 432 | 266 | 354 | 391 | ||||||
| Ireland | 247 | 289 | 299 | 235 | 220 | 177 | 203 | 212 | 372 | 196 |
| Ontario | 195 | 165 | 208 | 214 | 234 | 228 | 184 | 195 | 219 | |
| British Columbia | 413 | 313 | 345 | 284 | 197 | 299 | 316 | 203 | ||
| Quebec | 218 | 191 | 177 | 251 | 210 | 287 | 169 | 231 | 191 | 171 |
| France | 208 | 183 | 191 | 198 | 203 | 196 | 210 | 190 | 230 | 315 |
| The Netherlands | 928 | 487 | 510 | 498 | 482 | 469 | 391 | 323 | 293 | |
| Austria | 78 | 79 | 71 | 65 | 59 | 64 | 50 | 28 | 28 | 34 |
| Switzerland | 21 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 8 |
| Berlin | 69 | 50 | 42 | 30 | 24 | 30 | 13 | 17 | ||
| Munich | 121 | 103 | 50 | 53 | 62 | 59 | 67 | 38 | 55 | 26 |
| Cologne | 54 | 36 | 37 | 21 | 22 | 14 | 9 | 12 | ||
| Bonn | 59 | 58 | 30 | 25 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 19 | 11 |
| Leipzig | 108 | 60 | 50 | 31 | 58 | 28 | 31 | 15 | 36 | 22 |
| Rostock | 75 | 42 | 27 | 53 | 62 | 43 | 13 | 35 | 31 | 2 |
| Sweden | 226 | 321 | 246 | 306 | 232 | 240 | 288 | 201 | 203 | 163 |
| Spain | 64 | 63 | 56 | 49 | 48 | 41 | 47 | 46 | 41 | |
| Catalonia | 28 | 25 | 18 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
| Italy | 163 | 181 | 164 | 157 | 153 | 138 | 124 | 123 | 128 | |
| Poland | 276 | 238 | 279 | 206 | 231 | 247 | 258 | 198 | 181 | 187 |
| Hungary | 57 | 57 | 62 | 52 | 56 | 52 | 63 | 76 | 73 | 81 |
| Slovenia | 27 | 24 | 32 | 36 | 39 | 31 | 54 | 29 | 38 | 30 |
| Israel | 14 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 434 | 93 | 36.7 |
| 2024 | 491 | 81 | 31.4 |
| 2023 | 366 | 114 | 44.4 |
| 2022 | 442 | 96 | 36.4 |
| 2021 | 383 | 118 | 43.1 |
| 2020 | 399 | 108 | 40.2 |
| 2019 | 439 | 96 | 34.3 |
| 2018 | 507 | 84 | 29.1 |
| 2017 | 391 | 114 | 38.1 |
| 2016 | 553 | 76 | 24.7 |
| 2015 | 564 | 77 | 25.0 |
| 2014 | 468 | 92 | 30.0 |
| 2013 | 561 | 73 | 23.7 |
| 2012 | 663 | 62 | 19.3 |
| 2011 | 502 | 84 | 26.1 |
| 2010 | 418 | 104 | 32.4 |
| 2009 | 478 | 85 | 27.1 |
| 2008 | 475 | 84 | 26.6 |
| 2007 | 549 | 67 | 21.9 |
| 2006 | 388 | 108 | 36.1 |
| 2005 | 319 | 127 | 44.1 |
| 2004 | 309 | 130 | 45.5 |
| 2003 | 299 | 132 | 47.4 |
| 2002 | 283 | 134 | 50.1 |
| 2001 | 309 | 119 | 44.4 |
| 2000 | 344 | 97 | 35.5 |
| 1999 | 362 | 89 | 31.6 |
| 1998 | 457 | 65 | 22.5 |
| 1997 | 473 | 60 | 20.5 |
| 1996 | 506 | 52 | 17.6 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Lia in France since 1925 were born in or after 2016. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 2023, at 112.7 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Lia 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 Lia
1 in 743 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lia.
1 in 1,278 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lia.
1 in 471 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lia.
1 in 577 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lia.
1 in 2,556 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lia.
1 in 617 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lia.
1 in 3,725 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lia.
1 in 571 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Lia.
1 in 2,113 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Lia.
1 in 334 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lia.
Middle names for Lia
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Lia Grace
2-1 beats · initials LG
Changes the beat after Lia: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Lia Olivia
2-4 beats · initials LO · Lia slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Lia: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Lia slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Lia Rose
2-1 beats · initials LR
Changes the beat after Lia: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Lia Emily
2-3 beats · initials LE · Lia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Lia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Lia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Lia Miriam
2-3 beats · initials LM
Changes the beat after Lia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,408 in Ireland
Lia Juliette
2-3 beats · initials LJ
Changes the beat after Lia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Lia Charlotte
2-2 beats · initials LC
A close match on style, era and popularity. Same length as Lia: 2 syllables.
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
Lia Diana
2-3 beats · initials LD
Changes the beat after Lia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Lia
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 4,690 in England and Wales
95% alike: moves with Lia across countries and decades.
1 in 743 in England and Wales
93% alike: moves with Lia across countries and decades.
1 in 426 in Scotland
92% alike: moves with Lia across countries and decades.
1 in 1,218 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Lia across countries and decades.
1 in 571 in Ireland
92% alike: moves with Lia across countries and decades.
1 in 1,689 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Lia across countries and decades.
1 in 617 in Scotland
91% alike: moves with Lia across countries and decades.
1 in 587 in Ireland
91% alike: moves with Lia across countries and decades.
Famous people named Lia
Lia Manoliu, Lia McHugh, Lia Quartapelle, Lia van Leer, Lia Neal, Lia Wälti, Lia Vissi and Lia Boysen.
Show all 8Show less
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Romanian athletics competitor (1932-1998)
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American actress (born 2005)
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Italian politician born 1982
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Israeli film archive pioneer (1924-2015)
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American swimmer, Olympic athlete, world champion born 1995
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Swiss association footballer born 1993
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Greek-Cypriot singer born 1955
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Actress born 1966
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Lia
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Lia?
Her best rank is No. 8 in Switzerland in 2025, about 1 in 139 girls. She is in the published lists of 24 of our 40 regions.
What does Lia mean?
Wiktionary glosses Lia as "cow".
How do you pronounce Lia?
LEE-uh, with 2 syllables.
Is Lia getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 12 of 24 regions, falling in 2.
Which sister names go with Lia?
The deck's top five sisters for Lia: Hana, Valentina, Elena, Naomi and Gabriela. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.