Total births
446
Girls' name · since 2000
Leelah
Leelah has 446 recorded births since 2000 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2018 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #6561
- among girls today
- 446
- born since 2000
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 63%
- more common than other girls
Leelah currently ranks #6561 among girls' names in America, with 446 babies recorded since 2000.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Leelah has been recorded 446 times among girls since 2000, currently ranked #6561 nationally and more common than 63% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2000 to 2025.
- #6561 among girls today
- 446 born since 2000
- 2010s peak decade
- 63% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Leelah is currently the #6561 girls' name in America, more common than 63% of girls - 446 born since 2000, peaking in the 2010s.
- #6561
- among girls today
- 446
- born since 2000
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 63%
- more common than other girls
Leelah vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#6561
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 63% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
57% of everyone ever named Leelah was born in this single decade.
2018
Single peak year
32 babies were named Leelah in 2018 - its busiest year on record.
How Leelah compares
446 Top 47% higher than 53% 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
Leelah's all-time total is 17% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Leelah | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 446 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 32 | 48 | 19,840 |
Leelah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Leelah splits its recorded history at 2013: 64% of all births land in the more recent half, 36% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 2000 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2018 peak of 32 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Leelah at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2018
Current rank
#6,561
Active since
2000
Leelah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2000–2025
- Peak year (2018)
- 32
- Annual births at peak, across 26 years of records
Leelah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Leelah's strongest decade.
255 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 57% of all-time use.
Leelah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2000s 92
2000s
92 births
- 2010s
2010s
255 births
- 2020s 99
2020s
99 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 255 births (57% of all-time use).
Leelah by state
Where Leelah concentrates geographically, total births since 2000
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 34 | 7.6% |
California share of Leelah's total US births 7.6%
34 of 446 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Leelah? ▼
Since 2000, Social Security records show 446 babies named Leelah. Today it holds rank #6561 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2018, with 32 births.
When was Leelah most popular? ▼
Leelah was most popular in the 2010s decade with 255 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Leelah most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Leelah are California (34 births).
How long has the name Leelah been used? ▼
Leelah has been recorded in Social Security data since 2000, spanning 26 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Leelah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lee, Leeann, Leena, Leela, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Leelah's data
- Leelah's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (255 total births) through the 2020s (99) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Leelahs (34 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 Leelah
Nearby Names Like Leelah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Leelah
Lee Girl
#5149 62,299 births
Leeann Girl
#3705 14,334 births
Leena Girl
#1090 5,785 births
Leela Girl
#1259 4,545 births
Leesa Girl
4,124 births
Compare Leelah side by side: Leelah vs Lee Leelah vs Leeann Leelah vs Leena
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Leelah
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, 2000–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Leelah: #6561 Girls' Name - 446 Births, Peak 2018." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/leelah. 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 Leelah 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.