UK girl's name
Liah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "mine" or "for me".
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.
Liah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Liah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4192, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 18 births.
This profile covers 161 England and Wales registrations across 25 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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.
The latest count is about 28% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 160 living people in the UK are called Liah. 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
- • Liah ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2005, when 18 girls were registered as Liah.
- • About 160 living people in the UK are estimated to have Liah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4192
2024
Births in 2024
5
Latest year
Peak year
2005
18 births
Estimated living
160
2026
Meaning
What does Liah mean?
The name Liah is believed to have originated from the Hebrew language and culture. It is a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Leah, which means "weary" or "tired." The name Leah is found in the Bible and is the name of the first wife of Jacob, the Biblical patriarch.
In the Book of Genesis, Leah is described as having "tender eyes," which some scholars interpret as meaning that she had delicate or lovely eyes. The name Leah is derived from the Hebrew root word "la'ah," which means "to be weary" or "to be tired." It is speculated that Leah was given this name because she was born after a difficult labor.
The earliest recorded use of the name Liah can be traced back to the 19th century, where it was used as a variant spelling of Leah. One of the earliest known people with the name Liah was Liah Baizerman, a Russian-born American artist and educator who lived from 1867 to 1952.
Another notable person with the name Liah was Liah Greenfeld, an American-Israeli sociologist and political scientist, born in 1926. Greenfeld is known for her work on nationalism and the development of modern societies.
In the field of literature, Liah Greenfeld is also the name of a fictional character in the novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera, published in 1984.
Moving on to more recent times, Liah O'Prey is the name of a British actress and singer, born in 1986. She is known for her roles in television shows such as "Waterloo Road" and "Casualty."
Lastly, Liah Yoo is the name of a Korean-American singer, songwriter, and YouTuber, born in 1996. She is known for her covers of popular songs and her original music on her YouTube channel.
While the name Liah is not as common as its original Hebrew form Leah, it has been used throughout history and has been borne by individuals from various backgrounds and professions.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Liah over time
The chart below shows babies named Liah 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 Liah, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 18 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Liah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Liah 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 | #4773 | 12 | 3 |
| 2010s | #4463 | 36 | 8 |
| 2000s | #2515 | 84 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2130 | 29 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Liah
- 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
Liah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Liah in the UK right now?
In 2024, Liah was ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Liah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2005, with 18 babies registered as Liah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Liah?
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "mine" or "for me".
How many people are called Liah in the UK?
A total of 161 babies have been registered as Liah across the 25 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.