Lea

About Lea

Lea is a short international form of Leah, used in Hebrew and in many European languages. Its biblical meaning is uncertain: “weary” is one proposed explanation, with an Akkadian connection to “cow” another. The same spelling also appears in an English surname and in Hawaiian mythology, giving these three letters several independent histories.

Biblical roots and international forms

As a form of Leah, Lea goes back to the Hebrew name Leʾa. In Genesis, Leah is Jacob's first wife and Rachel's older sister. She is the mother of seven of Jacob's children, making her an important figure in the biblical family narrative.

Lea is used in German, Finnish, Italian, Spanish and several other languages. French commonly writes the name Léa, with an accent, while Lia and Liya are further forms in the same family. The small differences in spelling accompany differences in local pronunciation.

The English surname Lea has another origin. It is a form of Lee, from an Old English word for a meadow. That landscape connection belongs to the surname tradition, separately from the Hebrew personal name.

A Hawaiian namesake

In Hawaiian tradition, Lea is the goddess of canoe builders. One dictionary account describes her taking the form of an ʻelepaio bird to help canoe makers choose suitable koa logs. The name therefore appears in a story connected with birds, forests and the skilled work of building canoes.

This mythological Lea is distinct from biblical Leah. Hawaiian leʻa, meaning “joy” or “pleasure,” is another word often encountered beside the name; its modern spelling includes an ʻokina, marking a break between the vowels.

Lea Salonga and musical theatre

Filipina singer and actor Lea Salonga gives the name a particularly strong association with musical theatre. She was selected to play Kim in the original London production of Miss Saigon in 1989. When the show moved to Broadway in 1991, she won the Tony Award for her performance.

Her voice is also familiar through Disney animation. Salonga supplied the singing voices of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and the title character in Mulan, while other actors provided their spoken dialogue. Those roles connect the name with two widely known screen heroines.

She began performing professionally as a child and later built a career across theatre, concerts, recordings and television. Disney recognized her as a Disney Legend in 2011, acknowledging the vocal work that had become part of its animated films.

Pronunciation and shape

Hebrew Lea is approximately leh-AH, with stress on the last syllable. German usually places the stress first, approximately LEH-ah, and Finnish likewise stresses the opening. English use can follow Leah's LEE-uh sound.

Despite having only three letters, Lea commonly has two syllables. It is already a compact full name, with an open vowel ending shared by Lia and the French spelling Léa.

American popularity

Lea reached its highest American girls' rank in 1970, at #397 with 593 births. In 2000 there were 367 girls given the name, and in 2025 there were 321, placing it at #848. Its American use has continued across several generations without approaching the scale of some longer biblical names.

How popular is Lea?

In 2025, Lea ranked #848 among girls in the United States, with 321 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 593 in 1970. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.