How to say it
LE · ah
/ˈliː.ə/
Feminine
Leah
Weary, or 'wild cow'
What it means
Hebrew Le'ah. Traditional reading is 'weary'; modern scholars sometimes propose a connection to a word for 'wild cow' (a symbol of fertility in ancient Mesopotamia). Jacob's first wife in Genesis.
Leah is the Hebrew Le'ah. The traditional gloss is 'weary,' but modern scholarship sometimes proposes a link to lā'â ('wild cow'), which in Mesopotamian context was a fertility symbol rather than an insult. In Genesis, Leah is the older daughter of Laban whom Jacob marries unintentionally (he was promised Rachel, her sister); Leah goes on to bear six of the twelve patriarchs of Israel. The English Leah was a Puritan favorite, faded, and surged with the broader biblical revival of the 1990s. It's been in the US top 100 since 1996. Lee is a rare short; most Leahs keep the full two syllables.
Popularity over time
peaked at #24 in 2010, currently #58 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Star Wars's Princess Leia (different spelling, same root) is the unavoidable phonetic echo; many parents using the Leah spelling consciously distance from it.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Leah (Bible) Jacob's first wife, mother of six of the twelve patriarchs of Israel
- Leah Remini Actress and former Scientologist, The King of Queens
- Leah Williamson English footballer, England captain at Euro 2022 (the Lionesses' winning campaign)
Spelling variants
- Lea
- Lia
- Leia
Names with the same feeling
See Leah from another angle
By meaning
By style