לֵאָה
Leah means “weary, or wild cow”
Leah is a girl's name of Biblical origin.
Wife of Jacob and mother of six of the twelve tribes.
- In Hebrew
- לֵאָה
- On an ID card
- לאה
- In English letters
- Leah
- Other English spellings
- Lea, Leia, Laya, Lia
- Other Hebrew spellings
- לאיה
- Meaning
- Weary, or wild cow
- Origin
- Biblical
- Given to
- Girls
- Themes
- From the Bible
- Gematria value
- 36
28,102 Jewish Israelis born since 1949 carry the name Leah.
- 28,097 of them are women and girls, and 5 are men and boys.
- 641 of them were born in 1950, more than in any other year.
- Carriers born 2020 to 2024: 2,641, against 2,001 born 2010 to 2014, so its share of births is growing.
- The total includes the other Hebrew spellings the register counts separately: לאיה. The chart shows the spelling לאה alone.
Central Bureau of Statistics register, April 2025. People who changed their name are counted under the one they carry now, and a year with fewer than five shows as zero.
This is how Leah is counted in each population group.
These are the people born 1949 to 2024 who carry the spelling לאה today, in each population group and sex the register lists for it. The rank counts the names given in 2024, and 1 is the most given. A count under 5 is not published, so the table says “fewer than 5”, and 0 means nobody.
| Population group | Carriers | Born in 2024 | Rank in 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish girls | 27,989 | 542 | 31 of 678 |
| Jewish boys | 5 | 0 | – |
| Muslim girls | 26 | fewer than 5 | – |
| Christian Arab girls | 15 | 0 | – |
| Druze girls | 17 | 0 | – |
In 2024, Leah ranked 31 of 678 among the names given to Jewish girls.
Source: the Central Bureau of Statistics table of current first names of people born 1949 to 2024, by sex and population group (release 391/2025 of 8 December 2025, read on 2 November 2026). Groups and sexes with no row for this spelling are left out.
These six names are close to Leah in theme or origin.
These are the questions people ask about the name Leah.
What does the name Leah mean?
Leah means “weary, or wild cow”. Leah is a girl's name of Biblical origin. Wife of Jacob and mother of six of the twelve tribes.
Is Leah a boy's name or a girl's name?
Leah is mainly a girl's name. Of the 28,102 Jewish Israelis born since 1949 who carry it, 28,097 are women and girls and 5 are men and boys.
How do you write Leah in Hebrew?
Leah is written לאה in Hebrew. With vowel points it is written לֵאָה. The register also counts these other Hebrew spellings: לאיה.
How many people in Israel are named Leah?
28,102 Jewish Israelis born 1949 to 2024 carry Leah today. The most were born in 1950. In 2024, Leah ranked 31 of 678 among the names given to Jewish girls.
Counts are Jewish Israelis born 1949 to 2024 who carry the name today, from the Central Bureau of Statistics register of April 2025. Meanings follow the standard etymologies of Hebrew name references, and where nobody can be sure the page says so.