Lea

Lea comes from the Hebrew Le'ah, borne in the Book of Genesis by the elder daughter of Laban, first wife of Jacob and mother of six of his sons. The short meaning fixed to it is "weary." Scholars have argued for a long time over the root, some pointing to a Hebrew word for tiredness, others to an older term for a cow. The sense of weariness settled onto the name across centuries of reading, less a birth certificate than a shadow the story threw back.

In German-speaking countries Lea took a different road and became one of the most frequently registered girls' names in Germany through the 2000s. French keeps the accent and writes it léa.

Two syllables, and done.

Whatever weariness once clung to it, the Lea of Genesis outlived the sister she was set against. A Polish child named Lea answers to the same three letters a Hebrew scribe once set down, holding the plain sense of zmęczona without having to feel it.