Lea is an Old English word meaning a "clearing", an "open piece of grassland" or even the "grove". These are commons within English town list, northerly it typically utilizes a pure form of '-lea' when south it typically uses the changed spelling like "-ley", "-leigh" or even "-lee".

Examples come: Wembley - Wembla's Clearing (Greater London) Purley - Peartree Grove (Greater London) Hadleigh - Heather Clearing (Essex) However note these exceptions: Beverley - Beaver Stream (East Riding of Yorkshire) Bewdley - Beautiful Place (beau lieu) (Worcestershire) View also Lea, Gainsborough - a place within Lincolnshire Lea, Lincolnshire Lea, Derbyshire Lea, Shropshire Lea, Herefordshire Lea, Wiltshire

A word is however todays around poetic language, meaning "meadow" or even "pasture".

Lea is besides: the Jewish alternate transliteration for Leah. an surrogate spelling for the River Lee.