Unisex name · since 1956
Leighton
12,412 babies named Leighton in U.S. Social Security records since 1956, with the highest year being 2025. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,463 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #342 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,412
- born since 1956
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Leighton is the #342 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 12,412 recorded since 1956.
Social Security Administration records show Leighton recorded 12,412 times among girls since 1956, holding rank #342 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1956 to 2025.
- #1,463 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #342 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 12,412 born since 1956
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Leighton ranks #1,463 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #342 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 12,412 born since 1956, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1,463 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #342 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,412
- born since 1956
- 2010s
- peak decade
Leighton's 12,412 recorded births place it above 97.97% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
44 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Leighton compares
12,412 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Leighton's all-time total is 33x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Leighton | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,412 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 892 | 21 | 19,840 |
Leighton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Leighton splits its recorded history at 2003: 97% of all births land in the more recent half, 3% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1982 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 892 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Leighton popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1956–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 892
- Annual births at peak, across 70 years of records
Leighton popularity over time - boys
9,411 total births recorded since 1893 (Leighton as boys' name)
Leighton by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (6,204 births, 50% of the file).
2010s was Leighton's strongest decade.
6,204 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 50% of all-time use.
Leighton births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 6
1950s
6 births
- 1980s 57
1980s
57 births
- 1990s 227
1990s
227 births
- 2000s 932
2000s
932 births
- 2010s
2010s
6,204 births
- 2020s
2020s
4,986 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 6,204 births (50% of all-time use).
How Leighton 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 Leighton's total volume
Leighton by state
Where Leighton concentrates geographically, total births since 1956
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,529 | 12.3% |
| #2 | California | | 686 | 5.5% |
| #3 | Florida | | 571 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 482 | 3.9% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 459 | 3.7% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 433 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 428 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Tennessee | | 404 | 3.3% |
1,529 of 12,412 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.
Leighton appears in 44 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Leighton's data
- Leighton's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (6,204 total births) through the 2020s (4,986) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Leightons (1,529 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Leighton
Nearby Names Like Leighton
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Leighton
Compare Leighton side by side: Leighton vs Leilani Leighton vs Leila Leighton vs Leigh
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Leighton
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Leighton: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~69 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, 1956–2025 (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 Leighton 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.