Leland
Leland was given to 612 boys in 2025, #494 among boys’ names; 58,556 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 32,300 Americans named Leland and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (55% of everyone recorded); the median is 23 years old and half are between 12 and 63.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Leland by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Leland mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Leland is “a male given name transferred from the surname.”
Shortened from McLeland, McClellan, from Irish Mac Giolla Fhaoláin, “son of servant of (Saint) Faolán (=Little Wolf)”.
/ˈliːlənd/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Leland?
#494 among boys’ names, 2025
Leland fell from #378 in 2015 to #494 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.45 to 0.36 per 1,000.
1,035 babies in 2007, the peak
Leland peaked in 2007, when 1,035 babies were given it (1,029 boys, #315 among boys’ names). The 626 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 60% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 612 | #494 | 0.36 |
| 2024 | 546 | #543 | 0.32 |
| 2023 | 568 | #520 | 0.33 |
| 2022 | 609 | #500 | 0.35 |
| 2021 | 721 | #431 | 0.41 |
| 2020 | 635 | #470 | 0.37 |
| 2019 | 743 | #415 | 0.41 |
| 2018 | 747 | #420 | 0.41 |
| 2017 | 817 | #389 | 0.44 |
| 2016 | 758 | #417 | 0.40 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 857 | #378 | 0.45 |
| 2014 | 759 | #409 | 0.40 |
| 2013 | 774 | #386 | 0.41 |
| 2012 | 897 | #343 | 0.47 |
| 2011 | 950 | #329 | 0.50 |
| 2010 | 964 | #325 | 0.50 |
| 2009 | 895 | #350 | 0.45 |
| 2008 | 726 | #405 | 0.36 |
| 2007 | 1,029 | #315 | 0.50 |
| 2006 | 903 | #343 | 0.44 |
| 2005 | 371 | #608 | 0.19 |
| 2004 | 110 | #1,339 | 0.06 |
| 2003 | 129 | #1,164 | 0.07 |
| 2002 | 134 | #1,095 | 0.07 |
| 2001 | 107 | #1,247 | 0.06 |
| 2000 | 136 | #1,055 | 0.07 |
| 1999 | 129 | #1,058 | 0.07 |
| 1998 | 140 | #982 | 0.07 |
| 1997 | 167 | #846 | 0.09 |
| 1996 | 144 | #911 | 0.08 |
| 1995 | 175 | #805 | 0.09 |
| 1994 | 165 | #828 | 0.09 |
| 1993 | 204 | #727 | 0.10 |
| 1992 | 221 | #694 | 0.11 |
| 1991 | 267 | #624 | 0.13 |
| 1990 | 272 | #609 | 0.13 |
| 1989 | 263 | #605 | 0.13 |
| 1988 | 250 | #587 | 0.13 |
| 1987 | 214 | #623 | 0.11 |
| 1986 | 196 | #640 | 0.11 |
| 1985 | 166 | #689 | 0.09 |
| 1984 | 203 | #597 | 0.11 |
| 1983 | 209 | #588 | 0.12 |
| 1982 | 182 | #640 | 0.10 |
| 1981 | 211 | #589 | 0.12 |
| 1980 | 209 | #601 | 0.12 |
| 1979 | 207 | #595 | 0.12 |
| 1978 | 231 | #548 | 0.14 |
| 1977 | 207 | #586 | 0.13 |
| 1976 | 206 | #565 | 0.13 |
| 1975 | 203 | #566 | 0.13 |
| 1974 | 221 | #539 | 0.14 |
| 1973 | 241 | #502 | 0.15 |
| 1972 | 253 | #497 | 0.16 |
| 1971 | 247 | #519 | 0.14 |
| 1970 | 268 | #496 | 0.14 |
| 1969 | 285 | #454 | 0.16 |
| 1968 | 253 | #477 | 0.15 |
| 1967 | 314 | #428 | 0.18 |
| 1966 | 338 | #410 | 0.19 |
| 1965 | 358 | #413 | 0.19 |
| 1964 | 397 | #399 | 0.20 |
| 1963 | 360 | #424 | 0.18 |
| 1962 | 385 | #410 | 0.19 |
| 1961 | 429 | #383 | 0.20 |
| 1960 | 409 | #390 | 0.19 |
| 1959 | 431 | #381 | 0.20 |
| 1958 | 462 | #356 | 0.22 |
| 1957 | 480 | #344 | 0.22 |
| 1956 | 516 | #326 | 0.24 |
| 1955 | 564 | #306 | 0.27 |
| 1954 | 514 | #315 | 0.25 |
| 1953 | 536 | #308 | 0.27 |
| 1952 | 603 | #280 | 0.31 |
| 1951 | 591 | #279 | 0.31 |
| 1950 | 559 | #281 | 0.31 |
| 1949 | 633 | #257 | 0.36 |
| 1948 | 672 | #248 | 0.38 |
| 1947 | 656 | #262 | 0.36 |
| 1946 | 569 | #263 | 0.35 |
| 1945 | 540 | #247 | 0.40 |
| 1944 | 596 | #230 | 0.44 |
| 1943 | 676 | #215 | 0.47 |
| 1942 | 675 | #217 | 0.49 |
| 1941 | 636 | #212 | 0.52 |
| 1940 | 608 | #210 | 0.52 |
| 1939 | 570 | #213 | 0.51 |
| 1938 | 585 | #209 | 0.53 |
| 1937 | 555 | #213 | 0.52 |
| 1936 | 596 | #204 | 0.57 |
| 1935 | 623 | #201 | 0.60 |
| 1934 | 665 | #190 | 0.64 |
| 1933 | 645 | #189 | 0.65 |
| 1932 | 638 | #201 | 0.61 |
| 1931 | 694 | #189 | 0.67 |
| 1930 | 706 | #198 | 0.64 |
| 1929 | 762 | #182 | 0.71 |
| 1928 | 789 | #181 | 0.71 |
| 1927 | 823 | #177 | 0.73 |
| 1926 | 776 | #186 | 0.70 |
| 1925 | 858 | #173 | 0.77 |
| 1924 | 775 | #185 | 0.68 |
| 1923 | 807 | #174 | 0.74 |
| 1922 | 767 | #183 | 0.70 |
| 1921 | 866 | #171 | 0.79 |
| 1920 | 799 | #177 | 0.75 |
| 1919 | 668 | #192 | 0.68 |
| 1918 | 691 | #187 | 0.68 |
| 1917 | 627 | #191 | 0.68 |
| 1916 | 571 | #198 | 0.64 |
| 1915 | 597 | #185 | 0.70 |
| 1914 | 413 | #202 | 0.63 |
| 1913 | 338 | #200 | 0.66 |
| 1912 | 252 | #218 | 0.59 |
| 1911 | 127 | #227 | 0.56 |
| 1910 | 97 | #242 | 0.50 |
| 1909 | 90 | #232 | 0.55 |
| 1908 | 78 | #240 | 0.51 |
| 1907 | 86 | #220 | 0.59 |
| 1906 | 99 | #184 | 0.74 |
| 1905 | 66 | #240 | 0.50 |
| 1904 | 69 | #226 | 0.54 |
| 1903 | 75 | #208 | 0.63 |
| 1902 | 58 | #243 | 0.47 |
| 1901 | 68 | #206 | 0.64 |
| 1900 | 76 | #228 | 0.51 |
| 1899 | 62 | #211 | 0.58 |
| 1898 | 50 | #250 | 0.41 |
| 1897 | 59 | #219 | 0.52 |
| 1896 | 61 | #233 | 0.51 |
| 1895 | 54 | #244 | 0.46 |
| 1894 | 55 | #233 | 0.48 |
| 1893 | 60 | #221 | 0.53 |
| 1892 | 57 | #237 | 0.47 |
| 1891 | 36 | #270 | 0.36 |
| 1890 | 45 | #252 | 0.41 |
| 1889 | 29 | #329 | 0.26 |
| 1888 | 37 | #292 | 0.31 |
| 1887 | 20 | #372 | 0.20 |
| 1886 | 27 | #327 | 0.24 |
| 1885 | 23 | #373 | 0.21 |
| 1884 | 14 | #514 | 0.12 |
| 1883 | 21 | #376 | 0.20 |
| 1882 | 13 | #527 | 0.11 |
| 1881 | 9 | #628 | 0.09 |
| 1880 | 9 | #664 | 0.08 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Leland a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Leland has been given almost only to boys: 557 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Leland: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Leland, and how old are they?
32,300 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 55% of the 58,556 Americans ever recorded as Leland. The median Leland alive today is 23 years old; half are between 12 and 63.
The 2020 Census counted 29,687 people named Leland (333 women and girls, 29,354 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 31,777 born in the U.S. The Census count is 7% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 2,160 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 6,300 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 3,560 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 3,210 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 7,790 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 9,260 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Leland born?
The states with the most babies named Leland are Michigan, California and Texas, with 22% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 50 | #201 | 1.1× |
| California | 42 | #660 | 1.1× |
| Texas | 36 | #767 | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 28 | #392 | 0.9× |
| Indiana | 28 | #288 | 1.2× |
| Tennessee | 27 | #329 | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 24 | #456 | 0.7× |
| Pennsylvania | 23 | #447 | 0.5× |
| Georgia | 23 | #476 | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 21 | #495 | 0.9× |
Where Leland is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Leland is most over-represented in Kansas: since 1910 it was given 2.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Leland with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 63,472 babies since 1880, Leland is the most given (92% of them). In 2025 it was given to 626 of their 745 babies (84%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Leland
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Leland and names like it
- Compare Leland and LeelandBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2000sLeland peaked in 2007.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Leland since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Leland: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2007The year the most babies were named Leland.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Leland alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with LMost given first.