Lea

Lea is the spelling used across much of continental Europe - in Germany, Scandinavia, Italy and the Balkans, among others - for the biblical Leah. In Genesis, Leah is Laban's elder daughter and Jacob's first wife; he had wanted to marry her younger sister Rachel, and Leah became the mother of a large part of his family.

What the name originally meant is less settled than many baby-name lists suggest. Behind the Name gives the Hebrew verb la'ah, 'to be weary', as the likeliest source and mentions the Akkadian littu, 'cow', as an alternative. German Wiktionary adds further readings such as 'doe' and 'mistress', and points out that the popular link to Latin lea, 'lioness', has no evidence behind it. In practice, the name is chosen for its biblical heroine and its gentle sound rather than for a literal meaning.

Pronunciation is where Lea and Leah part ways. On the Continent it is said with two clear syllables, 'LAY-ah', while English speakers usually say Leah as 'LEE-uh'. Related forms include the French Léa, the Italian and Portuguese Lia and the Greek Leia.

As a short, vowel-led name, Lea balances well with a longer middle name, such as Lea Charlotte, Lea Imogen or Lea Rosalind. For siblings, names with a similar soft simplicity work nicely: Ida, Ella or Mila for a sister, Noah, Elias or Emil for a brother.