A gentle Biblical choice with pretty, crisp vowels.
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Origin: |
Leah is a biblical name of the Old Testament, the origin of which is uncertain. Considered one of the four Mothers of Israel, Leah was in fact mother of the greatest number of the Tribes of Israel and an ancestress of Christ. She was daughter of Laban and elder sister of Rachel, who Jacob wished to marry. In Genesis 29:17 we are told "Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured." The translations differ; the Greek rendered the Hebrew rak "tender, soft, gentle" as "weak-eyed" while the Latin became "blear-eyed." Others call them "pretty eyes." Some scholars argue that perhaps Leah had a vision impairment* or pale eyes which didn't match up to the dark, bright eyes which were the contemporary standard of beauty, while others suggest a that her eyes were tender from crying, showing her timid nature. Either way, Rachel was regarded as the more attractive sister and Jacob was determined to marry her. "Jacob's heart was for the super-model, not the homely girl who needed glasses." Laban tricked Jacob into marrying his eldest daughter, Leah, after Jacob had served seven years servitude in order to marry Rachel. Needless to say, Jacob was livid, and had to serve another seven years in order to finally marry Rachel. Poor Leah bore the brunt of this, and though she kept hoping to win her husband's affection, praying for it each time she had another son, she never received it. Finally, when giving birth to her fourth son, Leah had an awakening, deciding no longer to pine for Jacob, but to devote herself to God and her children and take joy in all that she had been given. Indeed, the Midrash asserts that Leah was the first biblical character to actively praise God, and by her example, the practice was passed down the Tribes of Israel. The most prevalent and longstanding theory with regards to Leah's etymology is that it derives from an Arabic word for "wild cow," ultimately derived from the Akkadian word littu "cow." This is seen as a direct contrast to her sister Rachel's name, which means "ewe" in Hebrew. Though it may seem strange to our modern sensibilities, the cow was not unprecedented as name fodder; Eglah, a wife of David, means "heifer" in Hebrew. Many ancient goddesses were symbolised by cows, such as the Egyptian Hathor, Greek Hera and Sumerian Nintu, as the cow was connected with fertility, power and the moon. Some prefer to connect Leah to the Assyrian word li'at meaning "mistress." If either of these theories are correct, it is curious that all the other members of Leah's family had Hebrew names while she had an Aramaic name. Another, I believe stronger, theory, gives Leah a Hebrew origin like that of her sister, Rachel. Leah's name is identical to the Hebrew verb לֵאָה la'ah meaning "weary, languid, tired, impatient, grieved." Given that many biblical figures had names that represented their characters, and are often alluded to in the bible itself, this meaning for Leah fits well. Leah, through her father's deceit, was put in a heartbreaking position, hoping in vain to win her husband's affection and, to Hebrew readers, this was reflected in her name. The description of Leah's eyes may again be an allusion to the Hebrew la'ah "weary, languid, tired." In the Middle Ages, Leah became a Christian symbol of an active life (non-monastic), while Rachel represented a contemplative life (monastic). In his Purgatorio 27, Dante recalls a dream where he sees a young and beautiful Leah gathering flowers to make into a garland, and she tells how her sister Rachel never stops observing her reflection in a mirror.
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Usage: |
Leah came into use in Britain after the Reformation in the 16th century, alongside a range of other Old Testament names such as Ruth, Esther, Dinah, Jonas, Nathaniel and Tobias. These names broke with traditional naming conventions as they were not chosen after relatives or godparents. The trend was therefore tentative at first but gathered more momentum through to the 17th century. Leah itself was very localised in use at first. Redmonds notes it it Halifax baptisms in 1590-1, and it also appears in London*, Warwickshire* and Hertfordshire*. However, it doesn't appear in the Norfolk baptisms at all during the Elizabethan period, but does appear once in the Restoration era (17th century). Nationally, Leah was not especially common initially. It doesn't appear at all in Smith Bannister's top 50 rankings from 1538-1700. By the early 19th century, however, it began to become more established. By 1860, Leah ranked #90 in England and Wales. This shifted to #91 in 1870, #100 in 1880, #103 in 1890 and #110 in 1900. Having fallen out of the top 100 after 1880, Leah did not return to it until a full century later, in 1984, when it ranked #99. It was in use however, in the mid-20th century, as Dunkling's data per 10,000 births in England and Wales alludes to:
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From its second debut into the top 100 in 1984, Leah quickly rose in use, ranking #57 by 1994 and #35 in 1996. For the following decade, Leah had was quite consistent in use, sitting between #20-#40. It peaked at #24 (2160 births) in 2004, after which it gradually declined in use. In 2014, Leah ranked #78 in England and Wales. |
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Famous Bearers: |
History: * Leah Manning (1886–1977), British activist and politician. Contemporary: * Leah Remini (b. 1970), American actress. Literature and Other Media: * Leah, a 1962 Roy Orbison song. Other: * Leah, a sculpture by Michelangelo. |
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Variants: |
Leia (Biblical Greek), Lia (Biblical Latin, Italian, Portuguese), Lea (German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, Croatian, Finnish), Léa (French) |
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Pronunciation: |
LEE-ə (UK), LAY-ah (Hebrew) [key] |
| Possible Diminutives: |
Lee |
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Sibling Names: |
Sophie Grace Abigail Phoebe Chloe Emma |
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Name Lists: |
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Thanks to Victoria for requesting this post.
