Holding steady, #6,838 for girls today.
Popularity of Leiya since 1979
Babies named Leiya per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2007, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Leiya's real moment was 2021.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 8 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 5 |
| 2000s | 100 |
| 2010s | 136 |
| 2020s | 94 |
Meaning & origin
Leiya is a modern respelling that blends the sounds of two classic names: Leah and Layla. It first appeared in U.S. records in 1979, but saw its peak popularity in 2021, suggesting a recent surge in interest for unique, melodic names. With a rank of 6,838 in 2025 and a 1-in-100,454 frequency, it remains very rare, appealing to parents seeking something distinctive yet familiar. Its trajectory is stable, indicating consistent but low-level use. Though not yet tied to any particular state or famous bearers, Leiya fits a broader trend of '-a' ending names with soft, vowel-heavy sounds.
Leiya is a modern respelling of the biblical name Leah (Hebrew לֵאָה, likely meaning 'weary'), which appears in the Old Testament as the first wife of Jacob. It may also be influenced by the Arabic name Layla (ليلى), meaning 'night', popularized in English-speaking countries through poetry and song. The spelling with 'ei' and 'y' emerged in the late 20th century as a distinctive variant.
“Leiya” around the world
Where Leiya lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
40
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Lei, Lee, Ya
Sibling names for Leiya
Names that share Leiya's style, for a brother or sister.
