Leah vs Peta
Leah and Petacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 1983, Leah was ranked #47 and Peta #97 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2017, Leah was ranked #99 and Peta #5765 among girls in England and Wales.
Leah and Peta over time
Leah and Peta appear together in 2 published lists, across 26 years of shared records. Leah held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Peta in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Peta reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Leah in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1977, Leah moved ahead of Peta in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #74 and #68 the year before became #72 and #75.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Leah #24 in 2002, Peta #2416 in 2000.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls14 shared years, 1996–2017
Leah held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Peta in 0.
Highest recorded here: Leah #24 in 2002, Peta #2416 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Leah #99, Peta #5765.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls12 shared years, 1971–1983
Leah held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Peta in 6.
Highest recorded here: Leah #47 in 1983, Peta #59 in 1978.
The order changed in 1977: Leah moved ahead. In 1976 they stood at #74 and #68; by 1977 that had become #72 and #75.
Most recent shared year, 1983: Leah #47, Peta #97.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Leah | Peta |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Likely derives from a Hebrew word meaning 'weary, grieved'; an alternative theory suggests a connection to Akkadian 'littu' ('cow'). In the Old Testament, Leah was Jacob's first wife. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, etymology disputed | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈliː.ə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #12 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5765 (2017) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Leah has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, etymology disputed); Peta does not have one recorded yet.
- Leah has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Peta.
- A meaning is recorded for Leah; Peta doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Leah
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #310 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2025
Highest recorded position: #9 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 1966–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #89 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Peta
Popularity journey
First recorded1970
First recorded at #85 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1970 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1970–1983
Highest recorded position: #59 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1978 (recorded 1970–1983).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2017
Most recently recorded at #5765 among girls in England and Wales, in 2017.
England and Wales · Girls