Total births
33,848
Girls' name · since 1880
Lea
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 33,848 babies named Lea, peaking in 1970. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #833
- among girls today
- 33,848
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Lea is the #833 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 33,848 recorded since 1880.
Lea has 33,848 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #833 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of girls, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #833 among girls today
- 33,848 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Lea is currently the #833 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 33,848 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #833
- among girls today
- 33,848
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Lea vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#833
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
13% of everyone ever named Lea was born in this single decade.
1970
Single peak year
593 babies were named Lea in 1970 - its busiest year on record.
How Lea compares
33,848 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Lea's all-time total is 89x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lea | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 33,848 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 593 | 48 | 19,840 |
Lea's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Lea's full recorded timeline at 1953, 88% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 12% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1970 peak of 593 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Lea at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1970
Current rank
#833
Active since
1880
Lea popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1970)
- 593
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Lea popularity over time - boys
620 total births recorded since 1890 (Lea as boys' name)
Lea by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Lea's strongest decade.
4,493 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 13% of all-time use.
Lea births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 104
1880s
104 births
- 1890s 186
1890s
186 births
- 1900s 234
1900s
234 births
- 1910s 590
1910s
590 births
- 1920s 663
1920s
663 births
- 1930s 671
1930s
671 births
- 1940s 1,099
1940s
1,099 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,889 births
- 1960s
1960s
4,493 births
- 1970s
1970s
4,453 births
- 1980s
1980s
3,944 births
- 1990s
1990s
3,831 births
- 2000s
2000s
4,250 births
- 2010s
2010s
4,341 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,100 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 4,493 births (13% of all-time use).
How Lea compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Lea's total volume
Lea vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Lea by state
Where Lea concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 4,190 | 12.4% |
| #2 | New York | | 2,923 | 8.6% |
| #3 | Texas | | 2,499 | 7.4% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 1,420 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,360 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Florida | | 1,316 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 1,117 | 3.3% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 1,040 | 3.1% |
California share of Lea's total US births 12.4%
Even split
4,190 of 33,848 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Lea appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lea? ▼
Lea has been given to 33,848 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #833 as of the latest data. 593 babies were born in 1970, its single highest year.
When was Lea most popular? ▼
Lea was most popular in the 1960s decade with 4,493 total births. The single peak year was 1970.
Where is Lea most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Lea are California (4,190 births), New York (2,923 births), Texas (2,499 births).
How long has the name Lea been used? ▼
Lea has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Lea? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Leah, Leanne, Leanna, Leann, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Lea's data
- Lea's usage has stayed within range of its 1960s decade-level peak (4,493 total births) through the 2020s (2,100) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Leas (4,190 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lea
Nearby Names Like Lea
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lea
Leah Girl
#53 256,488 births
Leanne Girl
#2703 29,627 births
Leanna Girl
#904 25,932 births
Leann Girl
#3770 24,356 births
Leandra Girl
#3904 7,029 births
Compare Lea side by side: Lea vs Leah Lea vs Leanne Lea vs Leanna
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lea
Ocean #832
3,822 births · Peak 2022
Iliana #834
13,339 births · Peak 2007
Ayleen #831
7,260 births · Peak 2012
Kahlani #835
2,213 births · Peak 2024
Judith #830
454,714 births · Peak 1943
Linda #836
1,455,143 births · Peak 1947
Cynthia #829
711,453 births · Peak 1957
Zaniyah #837
7,428 births · Peak 2014
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Lea: #833 Girls' Name - 33,848 Births, Peak 1970." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/lea. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Lea draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.