Leah Surname

65,054th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 7,680 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Kenya
Highest density in:
Liberia

Leah Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the lea'; v. Lee. Leah is unquestionably a variant. It is not Jewish, but purely English. The intermediate stage was Leay.

William de la Lea, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Read More About This Surname

Leah Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Kenya2,6381:17,5062,092
England1,5361:36,2754,758
United States6561:552,52945,649
Australia6201:43,5415,522
Romania4311:46,5845,804
Liberia3761:11,7251,271
Canada2171:169,79517,065
Moldova2091:17,0402,911
Nigeria1761:1,006,49342,496
Papua New Guinea1541:52,9466,689
Israel761:112,60012,624
India721:10,653,686201,049
New Zealand701:64,6909,897
Botswana441:49,7039,263
South Africa421:1,289,94571,309
Solomon Islands421:13,8102,567
Belgium311:370,85940,209
Scotland311:172,7049,690
Wales291:106,7088,358
Jordan221:401,92912,166
DR Congo211:3,518,075145,665
Philippines151:6,749,215188,373
Uganda131:3,003,02181,551
Brazil111:19,461,303329,560
Taiwan101:2,344,47514,894
Indonesia91:14,694,355460,137
Malaysia91:3,277,136121,952
Spain91:5,194,67182,436
United Arab Emirates81:1,145,28440,289
Tanzania71:7,563,08870,659
China71:195,331,65210,124
Zimbabwe71:2,205,46397,905
France61:11,070,454349,096
Mexico61:20,687,70153,861
Netherlands51:3,377,435111,911
Thailand41:17,659,586685,799
Egypt41:22,983,93862,368
Singapore41:1,376,92628,409
Malawi41:4,279,77724,060
Trinidad and Tobago31:454,65814,297
Monaco31:12,3552,088
Russia31:48,041,019639,186
Italy31:20,385,563143,117
Northern Ireland21:922,51818,701
Kazakhstan21:8,841,248174,813
Barbados21:143,7241,981
Cameroon21:10,384,534165,830
Czechia21:5,316,734169,646
Germany21:40,252,730481,636
Ghana11:27,020,69223,742
Ireland11:4,708,93929,543
Afghanistan11:32,153,18360,828
Austria11:8,515,435118,036
Belarus11:9,501,059159,228
Belize11:355,4743,977
Cambodia11:15,487,14614,824
Vietnam11:92,646,0548,382
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Denmark11:5,644,71593,155
Georgia11:3,745,54547,852
Macau11:601,6301,582
Switzerland11:8,212,915156,297
Sweden11:9,846,757347,448
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
South Sudan11:11,415,0763,182
South Korea11:51,240,2568,015
Guatemala11:16,082,66812,169
Guyana11:762,22114,420
Hong Kong11:7,335,48316,643
Sierra Leone11:7,089,6311,533
Jamaica11:2,869,94713,896
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland21:2,214,93333,683
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England1,0751:22,6753,180
Wales81:196,0527,186
Scotland51:748,64318,576
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1371:366,56027,735

The alternate forms: Léah (1) are calculated separately.

Leah (556,651) may also be a first name.

Leah Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the lea'; v. Lee. Leah is unquestionably a variant. It is not Jewish, but purely English. The intermediate stage was Leay.

William de la Lea, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

John atte Lea, 1301. Writs of Parliament.

Richard Lea, of the Lea, Cheshire, 1563: Wills at Chester.

Robert Lea, of Sutton, 1588: ibid.

1682. Baptised — Henry, s. William Leay: St. James, Clerkenwell.

1799. Married — John Leah and Elizabeth Barker: St. George, Hanover Square.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(English) 1 Dweller at a Meadow or Pasture [Middle English ley(e, lay(e, lea, le(i)gh; Old English leáh, from, dat leáge; m., dat. leá] Henry de Le.—Gt. Inq. of Serv.

William de la Lea.—Hundred Rolls Ralph de la Leye.— do.

Emma de Lay.— do.

John de Leg’.— do.

Pagan a la Legh.— do.

John atte Lea.—Parl. Writs.

Adam de la Legh.— Plac. Dom. Cap. Westm.

William de la Leigh.—Parl. Writs.

The usual Latinization was de Lega.

2 Lee is also an old word for a Shelter, Sheltered Place [Middle English lee, O.E, hléo]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

Lea,Lee. —Taking the two names collectively we observe that they are distributed over the greater part of England, though they are infrequent in the south - eastern counties south of the Wash, and are rare or absent in the counties on the south coast, excluding Devon. They are most numerous in the contiguous counties of Shropshire and Cheshire. When we come to consider their separate distribution we find that Lee is the most widely dispersed and by far the most common of the two names. Lea is confined to a limited and well - defined area, having its home in Cheshire, Shropshire, and Warwickshire, and spreading only to the counties immediately adjacent. On the other hand, Lee is found over the larger part of England, possessing independent centres in the counties of Northumberland and Durham in the north, in Notts and the adjacent counties in the midlands, in Shropshire on the Welsh border, and in Devonshire in the south - west of England. Probably in counties such as Cheshire, where Leigh is a frequent place - name, as well as a surname, it has often been confounded with Lea and Lee. Lees is a midland name, especially numerous in Staffordshire.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Leah Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Leah Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Leah (Arabic: ليّاه, Marathi: लेह, Oriya: େଲହା) is found in Kenya more than any other country/territory. It may be found as: Léah. For other possible spellings of this name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Leah? popularity and diffusion

This surname is the 65,054th most commonly held family name at a global level, borne by around 1 in 948,899 people. It is mostly found in Africa, where 43 percent of Leah reside; 35 percent reside in East Africa and 21 percent reside in British Isles. It is also the 1,790th most commonly occurring given name globally, borne by 556,651 people.

The last name is most numerous in Kenya, where it is held by 2,638 people, or 1 in 17,506. In Kenya Leah is most common in: Kakamega County, where 12 percent live, Kajiado County, where 11 percent live and Turkana County, where 8 percent live. Aside from Kenya Leah occurs in 73 countries. It is also common in England, where 20 percent live and The United States, where 9 percent live.

Leah Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The prevalency of Leah has changed over time. In England the number of people carrying the Leah last name increased 143 percent between 1881 and 2014; in The United States it increased 479 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Scotland it increased 620 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it increased 363 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it fell 50 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Leah Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those holding the last name is chiefly Catholic (100%) in Ireland and Christian (100%) in Kenya.

In The United States those bearing the Leah surname are 9.07% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 55.84% being registered to vote for the party.

The amount Leah earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 66.67% more than the national average, earning R 396,060 per year; in United States they earn 11.32% less than the national average, earning $38,266 USD per year and in Canada they earn 6.67% more than the national average, earning $52,998 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Léah921/
Leach8991,645/
Leahy8933,681/
Leahu895,811/
Leyah8987/
Lehah8952/
Leuah8915/
Lejah8914/
Leiah897/
Leaoh895/
Leaph894/
Leash891/
Lieah891/
Leahă891/
Lea8647,342/
Leahey802,498/
Lejaha80508/
Lehach80386/
Leatch80223/
Legiah8032/
Loyeah8010/
Lehyah807/
Leyiah806/
Leasch805/
Leijah805/
Lleach804/
Leahay803/
Leyahe803/
Leyadh801/
Leaths801/
Leeach801/
Lieyah801/
Lejahe801/
Leahou801/
Leahyy801/
Lheahs801/
Leyjah801/
Leyyah801/
Leahad801/
Leahah801/
Leiyah801/
Leeauh801/
Leeahy800/
Leahau800/
Leahoy800/
Leiach800/
Leeath800/
Lleath800/
Leashp800/
Leao7578,191/
Leya7522,791/
Liah7510,493/
Leja759,839/
Leha753,646/
Leap753,217/
Leua752,650/
Leas752,354/
Leyh752,326/
Lahu752,121/
Leau751,960/
Leat75981/
Leho75817/
Liea75767/
Lead75709/
Lahy75422/
Lyeh75340/
Layh75330/
Leih75321/
Leoa75253/
Leuh75243/
Lajh75236/
Lahj75198/
Lauh75183/
Leoh75147/
Leia75115/
Laih7594/
Leța7571/
Leaţ7565/
Leae7551/
Leea7535/
Lehó7533/
Leaț7531/
Leaz7522/
Ljah7521/
Leaj758/
Lhea757/
Lyea757/
Llea755/
Leaõ753/
Leaa752/
Leaș751/
Le'a751/
Leãa751/
Hlea751/
Lejh751/
Leahova7335/
Leheath732/
Leahová732/
Lehahai731/
Lehaith731/
Leijahh731/
L'Heath731/
Hleijah731/
Lehiash731/
Hleejah731/
Leaeach730/
Lahai6735,906/
Leija6723,115/
Lahey676,461/
Laiho673,308/
Lahay673,277/
Laich671,295/
Leich671,006/
Lahia67998/
Laweh67955/
Leiya67878/
Lehou67707/
Lauch67703/
Lieya67664/
Leuch67623/
Liyah67619/
Laish67612/
Leush67592/
Laihi67485/
Leyja67473/
Lahya67468/
Lehai67432/
Lajah67409/
Legia67387/
Lijah67361/
Lieja67336/
Lehay67331/
Laush67331/
Leyhe67330/
Lahaj67252/
Lehho67245/
Hlahu67232/
Leatt67220/
Liahu67220/
Lujah67217/
Lehau67202/
Lahji67197/
Leheu67189/
Laveh67166/
Loyah67142/
Hleha67127/
Leihy67121/
Lejap67118/
Leaoa67115/
Laysh67112/
Lejia67111/
Laiah67103/
Layah67103/
Lojah67100/
Leeya6799/
Laheu6799/
Leihe6794/
Leeja6793/
Lejja6788/
Leihs6785/
Leish6781/
Liaha6780/
Lajoh6780/
Lahio6779/
Leyya6777/
Least6775/
Laiha6770/
Lahij6762/
Lujea6760/
Lehey6759/
Leyat6758/
Lahau6754/
Liyeh6753/
Laihu6752/
Laudh6751/
Lajih6751/
Leijh6750/
L'Eau6750/
Lajhó6750/
Loweh6744/
Lehaj6741/
Leaea6740/
Lahge6737/
Lleja6736/
Lihah6735/
Luyah6735/
Leiau6733/
Leass6732/
Lieau6732/
Lățea6732/
Luțea6730/
Hleap6729/
Lijeh6728/
Loveh6727/
Leuha6727/
Loiea6727/
Leaou6726/
Le'au6723/
Leyad6721/
Lahei6720/
Lehyt6720/
Lajha6719/
Leosh6719/
Layeh6719/
Leysh6718/
Layoh6718/
Leyau6718/
Lahys6717/
Lehiy6716/
Lejoh6716/
Leyia6715/
Leyas6715/
Ljahh6715/
Lahuh6715/
Ljach6714/
Lehoy6713/
Lieha6713/
Leuaa6712/
Leyaa6712/
Leych6711/
Lahiu6711/
Leyeh6711/
Leyoh6711/
Leaos6711/
Lajch6710/
Leihu6710/
Leadd679/
Leuya679/
Lehos679/
Lea'e679/
Layuh679/
Liauh678/
Leias678/
Leyhs678/
Lejeh677/
Layha677/
Lehop677/
Layhi677/
Leaoz677/
Leads676/
Lehoi676/
Leiha676/
Lahii676/
Lieho676/
Leyaz676/
Lajeh676/
Lahja675/
Lajea675/
Lehio675/
Leaay675/
Llahí675/
Ljahu674/
Lehia674/
Leiyh674/
Laueh674/
Loueh674/
Leaão674/
Lejha673/
Lehya673/
Laiph673/
Lahve673/
Leead673/
Lauph673/
Lajht673/
Leoch673/
Lehei673/
Leeia673/
Lleya673/
Leuhu673/
Lahiy673/
Leiho673/
Lojeh673/
Leooa673/
Leats672/
Leaðo672/
Hleja672/
Lyeha672/
Liejh672/
Leuph672/
Lahyo672/
Laidh672/
Hleya672/
Lajho672/
Lyiah672/
Lahju672/
Leuhi672/
Lețea672/
Leyap672/
Lleha672/
Lliah672/
Lehoz672/
Leiuh672/
Lahhu672/
Laieh672/
Leiph671/
Lyjah671/
Luyeh671/
Llahy671/
Lieay671/
Leueh671/
Leuia671/
Lejga671/
Leaai671/
Leadz671/
Leaey671/
Leasp671/
Leauy671/
Leeay671/
Leeyh671/
Lehja671/
Leidh671/
Leieh671/
Laych671/
Leihi671/
Layho671/
Laaih671/
Ljiah671/
Ljaha671/
Ljahs671/
Leiht671/
Lejch671/
Lehye671/
Lațea671/
Lea'a671/
Leaau671/
Laijh671/
Lahjo671/
Lijea671/
Leuoh671/
Leouh671/
Leyha671/
Leyhi671/
Leyih671/
Leïya671/
Lheeh671/
Liaih671/
Lheja671/
Lahye671/
Llaih671/
Lleao671/
Lioah671/
Lhaha671/
Lhiah671/
Lajuh671/
Laihs671/
Lahjt671/
Layhs671/
Leayi671/
Lauhd671/
Hlauh671/
Hleih671/
Layht670/
Leeas670/
Liahy670/
Leuhe670/
Leuht670/
Layhu670/
Lauyh670/
Leaoy670/
Liehy670/
Laihy670/
Lyahy670/

Leah Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Leah in the Oriya language
େଲହାelaha-
Leah in the Marathi language
लेहleha-
Leah in the Arabic language
ليّاهlyah-
ليئهlyyh-
لياهlyah-

Search for Another Surname

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Leah
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis