Total births
256,488
Girls' name · since 1880
Leah
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 256,488 babies named Leah, peaking in 2009. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #53
- among girls today
- 256,488
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.7%
- more common than other girls
256,488 babies have been named Leah since 1880, making it today's #53 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Leah recorded 256,488 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #53 nationally today, ahead of 99.7% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #53 among girls today
- 256,488 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 99.7% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Leah is currently the #53 girls' name in America, more common than 99.7% of girls - 256,488 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #53
- among girls today
- 256,488
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.7%
- more common than other girls
Leah vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#53
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.7% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Leah was born in this single decade.
2009
Single peak year
6,790 babies were named Leah in 2009 - its busiest year on record.
How Leah compares
256,488 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Leah's all-time total is 671x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Leah | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 256,488 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,790 | 48 | 19,840 |
Leah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Leah's full recorded timeline at 1953, 92% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 8% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 52 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2009 peak of 6,790 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Leah at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
2009
Current rank
#53
Active since
1880
Leah popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2009)
- 6,790
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Leah popularity over time - boys
466 total births recorded since 1962 (Leah as boys' name)
Leah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Leah's strongest decade.
56,044 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Leah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 809
1880s
809 births
- 1890s 1,671
1890s
1,671 births
- 1900s 1,747
1900s
1,747 births
- 1910s 4,253
1910s
4,253 births
- 1920s 4,453
1920s
4,453 births
- 1930s 3,539
1930s
3,539 births
- 1940s 3,495
1940s
3,495 births
- 1950s 5,960
1950s
5,960 births
- 1960s 12,743
1960s
12,743 births
- 1970s 21,145
1970s
21,145 births
- 1980s
1980s
36,056 births
- 1990s
1990s
34,099 births
- 2000s
2000s
45,430 births
- 2010s
2010s
56,044 births
- 2020s
2020s
25,044 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 56,044 births (22% of all-time use).
How Leah 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 Leah's total volume
Leah vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Leah by state
Where Leah concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 25,503 | 9.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 23,871 | 9.3% |
| #3 | Texas | | 19,690 | 7.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 12,952 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 12,181 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Florida | | 11,692 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 9,914 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 9,030 | 3.5% |
California share of Leah's total US births 9.9%
Even split
25,503 of 256,488 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Leah appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Leah? ▼
Leah has been given to 256,488 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #53 as of the latest data. 6,790 babies were born in 2009, its single highest year.
When was Leah most popular? ▼
Leah was most popular in the 2010s decade with 56,044 total births. The single peak year was 2009.
Where is Leah most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Leah are California (25,503 births), New York (23,871 births), Texas (19,690 births).
How long has the name Leah been used? ▼
Records for Leah go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Leah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lea, Leanne, Leanna, Leann, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Leah's data
- Leah's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (56,044 total births) through the 2020s (25,044) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Leahs (25,503 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 Leah
Nearby Names Like Leah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Leah
Lea Girl
#833 33,848 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 Leah side by side: Leah vs Lea Leah vs Leanne Leah vs Leanna
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Leah
Hannah #52
465,685 births · Peak 2000
Lillian #54
475,028 births · Peak 1920
Maya #51
123,587 births · Peak 2006
Genesis #55
93,578 births · Peak 2016
Delilah #50
66,683 births · Peak 2024
Josephine #56
331,467 births · Peak 1918
Stella #49
206,906 births · Peak 2018
Sadie #57
149,681 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. "Leah: #53 Girls' Name - 256,488 Births, Peak 2009." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/leah. 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 Leah 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.