Leah is a feminine given name of

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

origin. Its meaning is often deciphered as "delicate" or "weary". The name can be traced back to the Biblical

matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which positions of power and privilege are held by women. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. While those definitions apply in general English, ...

Leah Leah () appears in the Hebrew Bible as one of the two wives of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. Leah was Jacob's first wife, and the older sister of his second (and favored) wife Rachel. She is the mother of Jacob's first son Reuben. She has thr ...

, one of the two wives of

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

. This name may derive from , presumably cognate with Akkadian , meaning 'wild cow', from

Proto-Semitic Proto-Semitic is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Semitic languages. There is no consensus regarding the location of the linguistic homeland for Proto-Semitic: scholars hypothesize that it may have originated in the Levant, the Sahara, ...

*''layʾ-at-'' ~ ''laʾay-at-'' 'cow'. The name "Leah" also refers to the Old English word léah meaning "meadow". The word is a common component in Anglo-Saxon place-names and can denote forests, clearings and fields.

Variants

* Lea – Croatian, Danish,

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

, Finnish, Hungarian, Indonesian, Norwegian,

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

, Slovene,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, Swedish, Yoruba, Hawaiian *Léa – French *לאה –

*Liya –

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

, Turkish *Leah – English *

Leia Princess Leia Organa ( or ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is a princess of the planet Alderaan, a member of the Imperial Senate, and an agent of the Rebel ...

–

Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...

, Portuguese *Lėja – Lithuanian *

Lia Lia is a feminine given name. In the Spanish-speaking world, it is accented Lía. In English-speaking countries, the name may be a variant of Leah or Lea. Lia may be a diminutive of various names including Julia, Cecilia, Amelia, Talia, Cornel ...

–

Ecclesiastical Latin Ecclesiastical Latin, also called Church Latin or Liturgical Latin, is a form of Latin developed to discuss Christian theology, Christian thought in Late antiquity and used in Christianity, Christian liturgy, theology, and church administration ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, Portuguese,

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, Catalan *Lía – Galician *Liadh – Irish *Lìyǎ – Chinese *Liah * Lya *Λεία (Lia) –

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

*Liia –

...

*Lija – Latvian

Royalty

Leah Isadora Behn Leah Isadora Behn (born 8 April 2005) is a member of the Norwegian Royal family. She is the second daughter of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and her late former husband Ari Behn, and a grandchild of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway. Sh ...

, the second daughter of

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 22 September 1971) is a Norwegian self-described clairvoyant, businesswoman and a member of the Norwegian royal family, although she is not a member of the royal house and has no public role. She is marri ...

Public figures

Leah Manning Elizabeth Leah Manning DBE (''née'' Perrett; 14 April 1886 – 15 September 1977) was a British educationalist, social reformer, and Labour Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1930s and 1940s. She organised the evacuation of orphaned or at ris ...

(1886–1977), British activist and politician *

Leah Rabin Leah Rabin (, née Schloßberg; 28 April 1928 – 12 November 2000) was the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated in 1995. Biography Leah Rabin was born Leah Schloßberg in Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany (now K ...

(1928–2000), wife of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin *

Leah Rosenthal Leah Rosenthal, (23 April 1879 – 4 October 1930) was a decorated Australian nurse who served in the First World War. Early life Rosenthal was born in Melbourne, Victoria, on 23 April 1879, the daughter of Joseph Rosenthal and Martha Avinsky. ...

(1879–1930), Australian nurse who served in World War I * Leah Ward Sears (born 1955), American judge

Arts and sports

* Leah Applebaum, American voice actress *

Leah Ayres Leah Ayres Kalish (born Leah Simpson; May 29, 1957) is an American former actress, best known for her role as Janice Kent in the martial arts sports action film ''Bloodsport'' and as Valerie Bryson on the daytime serial ''The Edge of Night''. K ...

(born 1957), American actress *

Leah Baird Leah Baird (born Ada Frankenstein; June 20, 1883 – October 3, 1971) was an American actress and screenwriter. Life Baird was born in Champaign County, Illinois. on June 20, 1883, the daughter of William Frankenstein and Bertha Schreiver Frank ...

(1883–1971), American actress * Leah Bertrand (born 2002), sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago * Leah Betts (1977–1995), British water intoxication / ecstasy victim *

Leah Bracknell Alison Rosalind Bracknell (12 July 1964 – 15 September 2019), known professionally as Leah Bracknell, was an English actress who played the role of Zoe Tate in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (1989–2005), for which she was nominated for th ...

(1964–2019), British actress *

Leah Cairns Leah Cairns (born June 2, 1974) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Lieutenant Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson in ''Battlestar Galactica'' and as Kathryn MacLaren in the TV series ''Travelers''. Early life Cairns was born ...

(born 1974), Canadian actress * Leah Cherniak (born 1956), Canadian playwright and theatre director *

Leah Clark Leah Clark is an American voice actress, ADR director and script writer. She has provided voices for Japanese anime series and video games. Some of her major roles include Mavis Vermillion in '' Fairy Tail'', Suzuka Asahina in '' Suzuka'', Saki ...

(born 1979), American voice actress affiliated with Funimation *

Leah Dizon Leah Donna Dizon (born September 24, 1986) is an American former singer, model and media personality.Leah Falland (born 1992), American steeplechase runner * Leah Fortune (born 1990), Brazilian-American football (soccer) player *

Leah Goldberg Leah Goldberg or Lea Goldberg (; May 29, 1911, Königsberg – January 15, 1970, Jerusalem) was a prolific Hebrew-language poet, author, playwright, literary translator, illustrater and painter, and comparative literary researcher. Her wri ...

(1911–1970), Israeli writer * Leah Goldstein (born 1969), Canadian-born Israeli professional

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most comm ...

, former World Bantamweight

Kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

Champion, and Israel's

Duathlon Duathlon is an sports, athletic event that consists of a running leg, followed by a cycling leg and then another running leg in a format similar to triathlons. The World Triathlon governs the sport internationally. Distance and format Duathlon ...

champion *

Leah Haywood Leah Jacqueline Cooney, known professionally as Haywood (formerly Leah Haywood), is an Australian record producer, songwriter and singer. Born in New Zealand, she grew up in Perth, Western Australia, and recorded a top-40 album, ''Leah'', re ...

(born 1976), Australian singer * Leah Horowitz (runner) (1933–1956), Israeli Olympic hurdler *

Leah Jeffries Leah Sava Jeffries (; born September 25, 2009) is an American actress. Jeffries made her acting debut on the American musical drama, ''Empire'' (2015) and later her feature film debut in the action-thriller '' Beast'' (2022). In 2022, Jeffries w ...

(born 2009), American actress *

Leah Kaslar Leah Kaslar (born 11 September 1985) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Brisbane and Gold Coast in the AFL Women's (AFLW), captaining both teams. Early life Kaslar was born in 1985 in Caringbah, New South Wales and moved w ...

(born 1985), Australian rules footballer * Leah Krinsky, American comedy writer * Leah Laiman (born 1946), American writer * Leah Lewis (born 1996), American actress * Leah McHenry (born 1984), Canadian musician and music educator * Leah Miller (born 1981), Canadian actress *

Leah Moore Leah Moore (born 4 February 1978) is a British comic book writer and columnist. The daughter of comics writer Alan Moore, she frequently collaborates with her husband, writer John Reppion, as Moore & Reppion. She is a Bachelor of Arts in Classic ...

(born 1978), British comic book writer *

Leah Neuberger Leah Thall-Neuberger (December 17, 1915 in Columbus, Ohio – January 25, 1993), nicknamed Miss Ping, was an American table tennis player. She was ranked the # 3 table tennis player in the world in 1951. Table tennis career Her six World Champio ...

(1915–1993), American table tennis player * Leah Owen (1953–2024), Welsh singer * Leah Peasall, American bluegrass singer * Leah Pells (born 1964), Canadian track and field athlete *

Leah Pinsent Leah Pinsent (born September 20, 1968) is a Canadian television and film actress. Career Pinsent made her film debut in 1984's '' The Bay Boy'', best known as Kiefer Sutherland's first film. The role garnered her a Genie nomination for Best Supp ...

(born 1968), Canadian actress *

Leah Pipes Leah Marie Pipes (born August 12, 1988) is an American actress. She starred in the television series ''Life Is Wild'', the slasher film ''Sorority Row'' and The CW series '' The Originals''. Early life Pipes was born in Los Angeles, California. ...

(born 1988), American actress *

Leah Purcell Leah Maree Purcell (born 14 August 1970) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's ''Somewhere in the Darkness'', which led to rol ...

(born 1970), Australian actress * Leah Remini, American actress * Leah Rhodes (1902–1986), American costume designer * Leah Song, American musician and activist * Leah Van Dale (born 1987), American professional wrestler better known as Carmella * Leah Williamson (born 1997), English footballer

Others

* Leah Berman (born 1976), American mathematician * Leah Carola Czollek (born 1954), German author, mediator and trainer. *

Leah Chase Leyah (Leah) Chase (née Lange; January 6, 1923 – June 1, 2019) was an Americans, American chef based in New Orleans, Louisiana. An author and television personality, she was known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine, advocating both African-Ameri ...

(1923–2019), American chef *

Leah Findlater Leah K. Findlater is a Canadian-American computer scientist specializing in human-computer interaction, mobile computing, and computer accessibility. She is an associate professor of computer science at the University of Washington. Education Fin ...

, Canadian and American computer scientist * Leah Horowitz (1680–1755), Polish scholar and writer * Leah Mosher, pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force * Leah Namugerwa (born 2004), climate activist

Fictional characters

*Leah, in the British radio series ''

The Space Gypsy Adventures The Space Gypsy Adventures is a children's sci-fi comedy radio and internet series created by Cumbrian broadcaster and cartoonist Terry Askew. It was first broadcast on United Kingdom, British Hospital Radio in 1986 under the title of 'The Advent ...

'' *Leah, in the American animated TV series ''

Shimmer and Shine ''Shimmer and Shine'' is an American animated television series created by Farnaz Esnaashari-Charmatz and produced by Guru Studio on Season 1, Xentrix Studios on Seasons 2–4, and Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It premiered on Nickelodeon's Ni ...

'' *Leah, in the 2018 TV series ''The Crossing'' *Leah, in the American TV series '' The Walking Dead'' *Leah, in the 2018 movie ''

Love, Simon ''Love, Simon'' is a 2018 American teen romantic comedy drama film directed by Greg Berlanti from a screenplay by Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker, based on the 2015 novel '' Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda'' by Becky Albertalli. The fi ...

'' *Leah Murphy, in the American medical drama TV series ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

'' *Leye (

Ashkenazic Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language t ...

pronunciation), in the play '' The Dybbuk'' * Queen Leah, mother of Princess Aurora in Disney's 1959 animated film ''Sleeping Beauty'' * Leah Brahms, in the TV series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' *

Leah Clearwater The following is a list of characters in the Twilight (novel series), ''Twilight'' novel series by Stephenie Meyer, comprising the books ''Twilight (Meyer novel), Twilight'', ''New Moon (novel), New Moon'', ''Eclipse (Meyer novel), Eclipse'' a ...

, in the ''Twilight'' novels by Stephenie Meyer * Leah Estrogen, in the 2001 film ''

Osmosis Jones ''Osmosis Jones'' is a 2001 American live-action animated buddy cop comedy film written by Marc Hyman. Combining live-action sequences directed by the Farrelly brothers and animation directed by Piet Kroon and Tom Sito, the film stars the ...

'' *Leah Jackson, a character in Karen McManus's ''

One of Us Is Lying 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

'' * Leah Mordecai, title character of the 1856 novel by Belle K. Abbott *

Leah Patterson-Baker Leah Patterson (also Poulos and Patterson-Baker) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Ada Nicodemou. She made her screen debut during the episode broadcast on 22 March 2000. Leah is one of the long ...

, in the Australian TV series ''Home and Away'' * Leah Rose, in the ''Left Behind'' novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins *Leah Kazuno, one of the two members of Saint Snow *Leah Rilke, in the TV series ''The Wilds'' *Leah the Fruit Bat, a bat who appeared as a guest in the first season of

Jim Henson's Animal Show ''Jim Henson's Animal Show'' is an American children's television series from the Jim Henson Company that aired from October 3, 1994, to June 28, 1998. The show premiered as part of '' The Fox Cubhouse'' for its first two seasons. The show late ...

*Leah Banning, in the ''

Has Fallen ''Has Fallen'' is an American action thriller film series starring Gerard Butler as United States Secret Service agent Mike Banning. The series includes the films ''Olympus Has Fallen'' (2013), ''London Has Fallen'' (2016), and ''Angel Has Falle ...

'' film series *Leah Vaughn, in '' The Perfect Guy''

References

{{Reflist English feminine given names Feminine given names Hebrew feminine given names