Leah vs Shauna
Leah and Shaunacompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Leah was ranked #52 and Shauna #424 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Leah was ranked #55 and Shauna #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Leah was ranked #183 and Shauna #5927 among girls in England and Wales.
Leah and Shauna over time
Leah and Shauna appear together in 3 published lists, across 108 years of shared records. Leah held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Shauna in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Shauna reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Leah and Shauna changed places 8 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1966 and 2025, ending at #55 and #885.
- Mirrored each other
Over 56 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Leah rose about as far as Shauna fell — from #310 and #380 in 1966 to #55 and #885 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Leah and Shauna were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 56 years, from 1966 to 2025, ending at #55 and #885.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Leah #24 in 2002, Shauna #115 in 2000.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls56 shared years, 1966–2025
Leah held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Shauna in 23.
Highest recorded here: Leah #9 in 2004, Shauna #6 in 1993.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Leah #55, Shauna #885.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2025
Leah held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Shauna in 0.
Highest recorded here: Leah #24 in 2002, Shauna #115 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Leah #183, Shauna #5927.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2019
Leah held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Shauna in 0.
Highest recorded here: Leah #10 in 2005, Shauna #46 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Leah #52, Shauna #424.
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 | Shauna |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #12 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #885 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Leah has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, etymology disputed); Shauna does not have one recorded yet.
- Leah has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Shauna.
- A meaning is recorded for Leah; Shauna doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
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 #183 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Shauna
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #380 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: #6 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1993 (recorded 1966–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #5927 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls