Total births
18,778
Girls' name · since 1949
Leia
18,778 babies named Leia in U.S. Social Security records since 1949, with the highest year being 2023. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #289
- among girls today
- 18,778
- born since 1949
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Leia is the #289 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 18,778 recorded since 1949.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Leia has been recorded 18,778 times among girls since 1949, currently ranked #289 nationally and more common than 98% 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 1949 to 2025.
- #289 among girls today
- 18,778 born since 1949
- 2010s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Leia is currently the #289 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 18,778 born since 1949, peaking in the 2010s.
- #289
- among girls today
- 18,778
- born since 1949
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Leia vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#289
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
39% of everyone ever named Leia was born in this single decade.
2023
Single peak year
1,424 babies were named Leia in 2023 - its busiest year on record.
How Leia compares
18,778 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Leia's all-time total is 49x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Leia | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 18,778 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,424 | 48 | 19,840 |
Leia's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Leia splits its recorded history at 1991: 90% of all births land in the more recent half, 10% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1950 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2023 peak of 1,424 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Leia at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2023
Current rank
#289
Active since
1949
Leia popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1949–2025
- Peak year (2023)
- 1,424
- Annual births at peak, across 77 years of records
Leia by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Leia's strongest decade.
7,238 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Leia births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 7
1940s
7 births
- 1950s 16
1950s
16 births
- 1960s 220
1960s
220 births
- 1970s 518
1970s
518 births
- 1980s 974
1980s
974 births
- 1990s 764
1990s
764 births
- 2000s 2,103
2000s
2,103 births
- 2010s
2010s
7,238 births
- 2020s
2020s
6,938 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 7,238 births (39% of all-time use).
How Leia 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 Leia's total volume
Leia vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Leia by state
Where Leia concentrates geographically, total births since 1949
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 3,705 | 19.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 2,028 | 10.8% |
| #3 | Florida | | 1,253 | 6.7% |
| #4 | New York | | 981 | 5.2% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 640 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 481 | 2.6% |
| #7 | Arizona | | 475 | 2.5% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 455 | 2.4% |
California share of Leia's total US births 19.7%
Even split
3,705 of 18,778 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Leia appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Leia? ▼
18,778 babies have been named Leia since 1949. It currently ranks #289 among girls. The peak year was 2023 with 1,424 births.
When was Leia most popular? ▼
Leia was most popular in the 2010s decade with 7,238 total births. The single peak year was 2023.
Where is Leia most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Leia are California (3,705 births), Texas (2,028 births), Florida (1,253 births).
How long has the name Leia been used? ▼
Records for Leia go back to 1949, giving 77 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Leia? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Leilani, Leila, Leigh, Leighton, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Leia's data
- Leia's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (7,238 total births) through the 2020s (6,938) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Leias (3,705 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 Leia
Nearby Names Like Leia
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Leia
Leilani Girl
#66 56,466 births
Leila Girl
#267 55,436 births
Leigh Girl
#3405 40,242 births
Leighton Girl
#397 12,412 births
Leigha Girl
#4320 6,594 births
Compare Leia side by side: Leia vs Leilani Leia vs Leila Leia vs Leigh
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Leia
Sydney #288
178,296 births · Peak 2000
Alanna #290
27,012 births · Peak 2025
Rory #287
13,580 births · Peak 2025
Luciana #291
16,629 births · Peak 2025
Amora #286
9,416 births · Peak 2025
Kamila #292
20,098 births · Peak 2022
Marley #285
33,045 births · Peak 2008
Harlow #293
13,986 births · Peak 2021
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, 1949–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Leia: #289 Girls' Name - 18,778 Births, Peak 2023." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/leia. 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 Leia 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.