Lea is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Lea means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Lea across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Lea has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Lea is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “weary or delicate”. A variant spelling of Leah.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 34,468 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,762 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 246 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 40 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 377 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Lea per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1970 (600/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2017 (86/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2009 (21/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1976 (13/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2007 (5/yr).
Lea has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1970, when it ranked #711 nationally (given to 600 babies that year).
Leo · Leah · Lee · Lou · Lia · Leia · Lu · Lue
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