Girls' name · since 1946

Lesli

Since 1946, U.S. Social Security records show 5,799 babies named Lesli, peaking in 2001. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#2,329 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#7,962 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
5,799
born since 1946
2000s
peak decade

Yes -- Lesli is the #7962 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 5,799 recorded since 1946.

Lesli has 5,799 recorded births among girls since 1946, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #7962 as of the latest data, more common than 54% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1946 to 2025.

  • #2,329 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #7,962 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 5,799 born since 1946
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lesli ranks #2,329 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,962 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 5,799 born since 1946, peaking in the 2000s.

#2,329 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#7,962 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
5,799
born since 1946
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%53.9%
Lesli vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Lesli's 5,799 recorded births place it above 96.78% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

32 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

32 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Lesli compares

5,799 Top 13% higher than 87% 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

Lesli's all-time total is 15x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Lesli Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 5,799 376 567,345
Peak-year births 166 21 19,840

Lesli's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Lesli's SSA record in two at 1986 and the more recent half accounts for 46% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 54%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1948, with only 8 births recorded -- set against the 2001 peak of 166, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Lesli popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1946–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2001)
166
Annual births at peak, across 80 years of records
050100150200 194619561966197619861996200620162025 13

Lesli by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (1,420 births, 24% of the file).

2000s was Lesli's strongest decade.

1,420 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.

Lesli births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 1,420 births (24% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Lesli 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 Lesli's total volume

Lesli vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -31, 9.5%-146, 2.9%-47, 9.9%-86, 7.2%-63, 4.4%-144, 4.4%-85, 2.7%-52, 5.1%-62, 4.4%-83, 5.2%-32, 12.6%-50, 8.6%-112, 7.2%-114, 2.8%-65, 3.8%Lesli-80, 2.9%Lesli
Lesli vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Lesli by state

Where Lesli concentrates geographically, total births since 1946

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Lesli
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
875 15.1%
#2 Texas
842 14.5%
#3 Illinois
165 2.8%
#4 Florida
101 1.7%
#5 Ohio
90 1.6%
#6 Oklahoma
89 1.5%
#7 New York
82 1.4%
#8 Missouri
76 1.3%
California share of Lesli's total US births 15.1%
Even split

875 of 5,799 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 32 reporting states.

Lesli appears in 32 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Lesli?
Since 1946, Social Security records show 5,799 babies named Lesli. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #2,329 of 72,339 girls' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #7,962 of 17,297 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2001, with 166 births.
Where does Lesli sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lesli ranks #2,329 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,962 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Lesli most popular?
Lesli was most popular in the 2000s decade with 1,420 total births. The single peak year was 2001.
Where is Lesli most popular?
The top states for the name Lesli are California (875 births), Texas (842 births), Illinois (165 births).
How long has the name Lesli been used?
The SSA has tracked Lesli since 1946 -- 80 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Lesli?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Leslie, Lesley, Lesly, Lessie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Lesli's data

  • Lesli's decade-level peak was the 2000s (1,420 total births); usage has since declined to 94 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Leslis (875 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Lesli

Nearby Names Like Lesli

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lesli

Names with a similar popularity rank to Lesli

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Lesli: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1946–2025 (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 Lesli 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.