Total births
15,645
Girls' name · since 1880
Lelia
Lelia has 15,645 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1919 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #5615
- among girls today
- 15,645
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 68%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Lelia is the #5615 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 15,645 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lelia has been recorded 15,645 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #5615 nationally and more common than 68% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #5615 among girls today
- 15,645 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 68% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Lelia is currently the #5615 girls' name in America, more common than 68% of girls - 15,645 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #5615
- among girls today
- 15,645
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 68%
- more common than other girls
Lelia vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5615
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 68% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Lelia was born in this single decade.
1919
Single peak year
316 babies were named Lelia in 1919 - its busiest year on record.
How Lelia compares
15,645 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Lelia's all-time total is 41x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lelia | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,645 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 316 | 48 | 19,840 |
Lelia's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Lelia's full recorded timeline at 1953, 21% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 79% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1994, with just 15 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1919 peak of 316 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Lelia at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1919
Current rank
#5,615
Active since
1880
Lelia popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1919)
- 316
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Lelia by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Lelia's strongest decade.
2,688 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Lelia births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 987
1880s
987 births
- 1890s
1890s
1,487 births
- 1900s
1900s
1,476 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,308 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,688 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,674 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,439 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,117 births
- 1960s 687
1960s
687 births
- 1970s 359
1970s
359 births
- 1980s 300
1980s
300 births
- 1990s 252
1990s
252 births
- 2000s 353
2000s
353 births
- 2010s 347
2010s
347 births
- 2020s 171
2020s
171 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,688 births (17% of all-time use).
How Lelia 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 Lelia's total volume
Lelia vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Lelia by state
Where Lelia concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Virginia | | 1,260 | 8.1% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 727 | 4.6% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 670 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Louisiana | | 612 | 3.9% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 609 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Texas | | 530 | 3.4% |
| #7 | South Carolina | | 431 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Kentucky | | 398 | 2.5% |
Virginia share of Lelia's total US births 8.1%
Even split
1,260 of 15,645 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 27 reporting states.
Lelia appears in 27 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lelia? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 15,645 babies named Lelia. Today it holds rank #5615 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1919, with 316 births.
When was Lelia most popular? ▼
Lelia was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,688 total births. The single peak year was 1919.
Where is Lelia most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Lelia are Virginia (1,260 births), Georgia (727 births), North Carolina (670 births).
How long has the name Lelia been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Lelia since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Lelia? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lela, Lelah, Lelani, Lella, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Lelia's data
- Lelia's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,688 total births); usage has since declined to 171 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Virginia records the most Lelias (1,260 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Virginia 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 Lelia
Nearby Names Like Lelia
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lelia
Lela Girl
#2203 43,005 births
Lelah Girl
#10286 2,187 births
Lelani Girl
#3141 1,010 births
Lella Girl
864 births
Lelar Girl
629 births
Compare Lelia side by side: Lelia vs Lela Lelia vs Lelah Lelia vs Lelani
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lelia
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. "Lelia: #5615 Girls' Name - 15,645 Births, Peak 1919." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/lelia. 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 Lelia 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.