Girls' name · since 1937
Lei
652 babies named Lei in U.S. Social Security records since 1937, with the highest year being 1960. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #9,983 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,136 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 652
- born since 1937
- 1960s
- peak decade
652 babies have been named Lei since 1937, making it today's #15136 girls' name.
Lei has 652 recorded births among girls since 1937, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #15136 as of the latest data, more common than 12% of girls, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1937 to 2025.
- #9,983 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #15,136 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 652 born since 1937
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lei ranks #9,983 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #15,136 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 652 born since 1937, peaking in the 1960s.
- #9,983 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,136 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 652
- born since 1937
- 1960s
- peak decade
Lei's 652 recorded births place it above 86.19% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by Hawaii.
How Lei compares
652 Top 40% higher than 60% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Lei's all-time total is 73% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lei | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 652 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 25 | 21 | 19,840 |
Lei's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Lei's full recorded timeline at 1973, 39% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 61% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1946, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1960 peak of 25 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Lei popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1937–2025
- Peak year (1960)
- 25
- Annual births at peak, across 89 years of records
Lei popularity over time - boys
31 total births recorded since 1979 (Lei as boys' name)
Lei by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (160 births, 25% of the file).
1960s was Lei's strongest decade.
160 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Lei births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 27
1930s
27 births
- 1940s 54
1940s
54 births
- 1950s
1950s
124 births
- 1960s
1960s
160 births
- 1970s
1970s
87 births
- 1980s 58
1980s
58 births
- 1990s 43
1990s
43 births
- 2000s 55
2000s
55 births
- 2010s 21
2010s
21 births
- 2020s 23
2020s
23 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 160 births (25% of all-time use).
How Lei compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Lei's total volume
Lei by state
Where Lei concentrates geographically, total births since 1937
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Hawaii | | 62 | 9.5% |
| #2 | California | | 18 | 2.8% |
62 of 652 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lei? ▼
Where does Lei sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Lei most popular? ▼
Where is Lei most popular? ▼
How long has the name Lei been used? ▼
What names are similar to Lei? ▼
What to do with Lei's data
- Lei's decade-level peak was the 1960s (160 total births); usage has since declined to 23 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Hawaii records the most Leis (62 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Hawaii names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lei
Nearby Names Like Lei
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lei
Compare Lei side by side: Lei vs Leilani Lei vs Leila Lei vs Leigh
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lei
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Lei: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1960)
Similar record span (~88 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1937–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Lei draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.