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.
- #772 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #848 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 33,848
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Yes -- Lea is the #848 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 #848 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.
- #772 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #848 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 33,848 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lea ranks #772 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #848 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 33,848 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #772 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #848 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 33,848
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Lea's 33,848 recorded births place it above 98.93% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Lea compares
33,848 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,297 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 90x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lea | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 33,848 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 593 | 21 | 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 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
1960s is the heaviest window (4,493 births, 13% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Lea sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Lea most popular? ▼
Where is Lea most popular? ▼
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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
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
Compare Lea side by side: Lea vs Leah Lea vs Leanne Lea vs Leanna
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lea
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Lea: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1970)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.