Leigha

Leigha is a modern American form of Leah. Leah is a Hebrew name borne from the Bible as Jacob’s first wife. She is also remembered as the older sister of Rachel (Genesis 29:1-30). The name means “languid, relaxed, weary”. As we learn in the first book of the Old Testament (Genesis), Jacob falls in love with Rachel, Leah’s younger (and more beautiful) sister. In exchange for Rachel’s hand in marriage, Jacob must first avail himself to seven years of servitude to Laban (Leah and Rachel’s father). At the end of the obligatory seven years, however, Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Leah by switching the sisters at the altar. As Laban explained: “It is not our custom to give the younger before the firstborn” (Genesis 29:26). All’s well that ends well, however, when Jacob wins Rachel after another seven years of labor (in Biblical times, having more than one wife was not atypical). The only physical description of Leah we get from the Bible is in Genesis 29:17: “Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.” While the Bible contrasts the beautiful Rachel with the “weak-eyed” Leah, the Lord blesses Leah with more children (which really bothered her barren sister, Rachel). The name Leah has been a popular choice in the Jewish naming tradition; she is seen as a symbol of a fruitful marriage building up the tribes of Israel. The Puritans adopted the name Leah during the Reformation and it has since become just as widespread among Christians. In the Bible, Leah played second-fiddle to her more beautiful sister Rachel so the Puritans liked the name for its humility and modesty. Most parents opt for the Hebrew/Biblical spelling of Leah. Germans and Scandinavians use Lea without the “h” on the end. Leia is the Biblical Greek form and Lia is the Biblical Latin form. Leigha is um, like, totally, like American.