UK girl's name
Leya
Derived from the Greek word "layla" meaning "night" or "born at night".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Leya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Leya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #918, with 39 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 39 births.
This profile covers 518 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Leya is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 528 living people in the UK are called Leya. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Leya ranked #918 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 39 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 39 girls were registered as Leya.
- • Leya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #790 in 2024.
- • About 528 living people in the UK are estimated to have Leya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#918
2024
Births in 2024
39
Latest year
Peak year
2024
39 births
Estimated living
528
2026
Meaning
What does Leya mean?
The name Leya has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was spoken in ancient India. It is believed to have first emerged around the 5th century BCE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "leya," which means "to dissolve" or "to merge."
In Hindu philosophy, the concept of "leya" refers to the dissolution of the individual self into the ultimate reality or the divine consciousness. It is associated with the idea of transcending the ego and achieving spiritual enlightenment. The name Leya may have been given to children as a symbolic representation of this profound philosophical concept.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Leya can be found in ancient Hindu texts and scriptures. One notable example is the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture composed between the 5th and 2nd centuries BCE, which mentions the concept of "leya" in its teachings.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Leya. One of the earliest known was Leya of Kashi, a renowned Indian philosopher and scholar who lived in the 7th century CE. She is celebrated for her contributions to the field of metaphysics and her teachings on the nature of consciousness.
Another prominent figure was Leya Devi, a 13th-century Indian mystic and poet from the region of Bengal. Her devotional lyrics and spiritual compositions are still revered and studied by scholars of Indian literature and philosophy.
In the 16th century, Leya Kumari was a celebrated Indian painter and artist who gained recognition for her intricate and vibrant miniature paintings, which often depicted scenes from Hindu mythology and folklore.
Moving forward in time, Leya Matthyssen was a 19th-century Dutch writer and educator who played a significant role in promoting women's education and advocating for gender equality in the Netherlands. She was born in 1832 and passed away in 1912.
Another noteworthy figure was Leya Sefanaia, a 20th-century Samoan author and activist who dedicated her life to preserving and promoting the traditional arts and culture of Samoa. She was born in 1923 and lived until 2002, leaving behind a rich legacy of literary works and cultural contributions.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Leya, each contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on the world in their own unique ways.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Leya over time
The chart below shows babies named Leya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Leya, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 39 births in 2024, compared with 39 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leya by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Leya was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1035 | 167 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1660 | 182 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1541 | 151 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2669 | 18 | 3 |
Geography
Where Leya is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Leya. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Leya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #790 in 2024.
Across the UK
Leya in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#790 in 2024
4 years of NRS records, 13 total registered
Related
Names similar to Leya
- Lily 72,956
- Lucy 70,663
- Lauren 50,664
- Leah 33,185
- Lola 24,525
- Layla 24,520
- Laura 23,471
- Lilly 21,714
- Lydia 18,353
- Libby 14,515
- Lara 13,415
- Lacey 13,406
FAQ
Leya: questions and answers
How popular is the name Leya in the UK right now?
In 2024, Leya was ranked #918 for girls in England and Wales, with 39 births registered.
When was Leya most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 39 babies registered as Leya in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Leya?
Derived from the Greek word "layla" meaning "night" or "born at night".
How many people are called Leya in the UK?
A total of 518 babies have been registered as Leya across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 13 more in Scotland.
Where is Leya most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Leya ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #790 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.