Leslie
Leslie was given to 393 girls in 2025, #712 among girls’ names; 383,418 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 289,000 Americans named Leslie and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (75% of everyone recorded); the median is 53 years old and half are between 36 and 66.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Leslie by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Leslie mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Leslie is “a female given name transferred from the surname, of mostly American usage.” Its etymology gives the sense “garden of hollies” (cuileann).
Also “a male given name transferred from the surname.”
From a placename in Aberdeenshire, originally Lesslyn, Scottish Gaelic lios cuileann (“garden of hollies”).
/ˈlɛzli/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Leslie?
#712 among girls’ names, 2025
Leslie fell from #371 in 2015 to #712 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 0.49 to 0.24 per 1,000.
8,199 babies in 1957, the peak
Leslie peaked in 1957, when 8,199 babies were given it (6,103 girls, #77 among girls’ names). The 425 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 5% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 393 | #712 | 32 | #3,562 |
| 2024 | 496 | #606 | 41 | #3,023 |
| 2023 | 440 | #670 | 40 | #3,092 |
| 2022 | 453 | #653 | 33 | #3,503 |
| 2021 | 477 | #625 | 33 | #3,459 |
| 2020 | 488 | #596 | 26 | #3,979 |
| 2019 | 572 | #536 | 50 | #2,609 |
| 2018 | 601 | #521 | 38 | #3,079 |
| 2017 | 704 | #449 | 45 | #2,741 |
| 2016 | 807 | #414 | 45 | #2,707 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 880 | #371 | 56 | #2,337 |
| 2014 | 1,000 | #338 | 61 | #2,220 |
| 2013 | 1,111 | #288 | 36 | #3,098 |
| 2012 | 1,226 | #266 | 50 | #2,507 |
| 2011 | 1,286 | #247 | 54 | #2,363 |
| 2010 | 1,565 | #199 | 47 | #2,612 |
| 2009 | 1,983 | #160 | 76 | #1,905 |
| 2008 | 2,326 | #147 | 76 | #1,912 |
| 2007 | 2,690 | #127 | 82 | #1,790 |
| 2006 | 3,036 | #108 | 82 | #1,720 |
| 2005 | 3,123 | #103 | 102 | #1,447 |
| 2004 | 3,501 | #93 | 90 | #1,496 |
| 2003 | 3,639 | #91 | 101 | #1,352 |
| 2002 | 3,522 | #91 | 96 | #1,374 |
| 2001 | 3,612 | #84 | 125 | #1,124 |
| 2000 | 3,623 | #90 | 137 | #1,048 |
| 1999 | 3,341 | #100 | 120 | #1,108 |
| 1998 | 3,079 | #111 | 123 | #1,067 |
| 1997 | 2,821 | #115 | 158 | #879 |
| 1996 | 2,664 | #118 | 175 | #822 |
| 1995 | 2,313 | #137 | 186 | #784 |
| 1994 | 2,398 | #131 | 208 | #726 |
| 1993 | 2,294 | #138 | 200 | #735 |
| 1992 | 2,482 | #133 | 216 | #697 |
| 1991 | 2,550 | #124 | 279 | #609 |
| 1990 | 2,827 | #115 | 295 | #583 |
| 1989 | 2,865 | #108 | 327 | #530 |
| 1988 | 3,079 | #94 | 318 | #516 |
| 1987 | 3,194 | #89 | 290 | #530 |
| 1986 | 3,224 | #86 | 380 | #443 |
| 1985 | 3,607 | #76 | 331 | #476 |
| 1984 | 3,817 | #75 | 367 | #439 |
| 1983 | 4,248 | #67 | 414 | #401 |
| 1982 | 4,985 | #60 | 431 | #391 |
| 1981 | 4,934 | #56 | 499 | #352 |
| 1980 | 4,776 | #61 | 507 | #354 |
| 1979 | 4,497 | #65 | 529 | #341 |
| 1978 | 4,342 | #63 | 524 | #336 |
| 1977 | 4,250 | #65 | 608 | #311 |
| 1976 | 4,311 | #65 | 534 | #327 |
| 1975 | 4,105 | #71 | 680 | #281 |
| 1974 | 4,463 | #65 | 691 | #273 |
| 1973 | 3,954 | #75 | 790 | #247 |
| 1972 | 4,184 | #75 | 840 | #249 |
| 1971 | 5,111 | #68 | 985 | #238 |
| 1970 | 5,622 | #64 | 1,013 | #234 |
| 1969 | 5,836 | #64 | 1,043 | #224 |
| 1968 | 5,282 | #66 | 1,012 | #223 |
| 1967 | 5,318 | #66 | 1,062 | #212 |
| 1966 | 4,999 | #71 | 1,239 | #197 |
| 1965 | 4,875 | #75 | 1,419 | #180 |
| 1964 | 5,598 | #73 | 1,445 | #197 |
| 1963 | 5,857 | #72 | 1,557 | #192 |
| 1962 | 5,778 | #80 | 1,652 | #183 |
| 1961 | 5,668 | #84 | 1,623 | #190 |
| 1960 | 5,242 | #92 | 1,672 | #185 |
| 1959 | 5,652 | #84 | 1,757 | #175 |
| 1958 | 6,014 | #79 | 1,943 | #161 |
| 1957 | 6,103 | #77 | 2,096 | #156 |
| 1956 | 4,382 | #104 | 2,050 | #152 |
| 1955 | 4,405 | #99 | 2,232 | #138 |
| 1954 | 4,147 | #99 | 2,231 | #137 |
| 1953 | 3,904 | #96 | 2,284 | #135 |
| 1952 | 3,573 | #104 | 2,358 | #125 |
| 1951 | 2,540 | #133 | 2,298 | #124 |
| 1950 | 2,329 | #134 | 2,132 | #126 |
| 1949 | 2,418 | #132 | 2,208 | #126 |
| 1948 | 2,305 | #131 | 2,214 | #129 |
| 1947 | 2,358 | #132 | 2,305 | #124 |
| 1946 | 2,139 | #130 | 2,138 | #119 |
| 1945 | 1,704 | #142 | 1,975 | #115 |
| 1944 | 1,202 | #182 | 1,971 | #114 |
| 1943 | 1,137 | #191 | 1,918 | #121 |
| 1942 | 834 | #231 | 1,733 | #127 |
| 1941 | 505 | #288 | 1,557 | #126 |
| 1940 | 254 | #427 | 1,370 | #136 |
| 1939 | 179 | #499 | 1,294 | #136 |
| 1938 | 176 | #504 | 1,248 | #135 |
| 1937 | 177 | #494 | 1,237 | #131 |
| 1936 | 179 | #480 | 1,252 | #128 |
| 1935 | 161 | #502 | 1,222 | #131 |
| 1934 | 125 | #581 | 1,215 | #134 |
| 1933 | 123 | #581 | 1,168 | #137 |
| 1932 | 94 | #701 | 1,177 | #142 |
| 1931 | 101 | #663 | 1,192 | #139 |
| 1930 | 132 | #604 | 1,237 | #139 |
| 1929 | 102 | #694 | 1,259 | #136 |
| 1928 | 102 | #693 | 1,380 | #128 |
| 1927 | 126 | #639 | 1,441 | #126 |
| 1926 | 140 | #600 | 1,467 | #126 |
| 1925 | 139 | #624 | 1,518 | #119 |
| 1924 | 142 | #632 | 1,664 | #107 |
| 1923 | 151 | #588 | 1,553 | #112 |
| 1922 | 121 | #659 | 1,544 | #114 |
| 1921 | 126 | #655 | 1,647 | #106 |
| 1920 | 92 | #759 | 1,592 | #110 |
| 1919 | 114 | #652 | 1,539 | #105 |
| 1918 | 127 | #628 | 1,644 | #102 |
| 1917 | 99 | #693 | 1,440 | #107 |
| 1916 | 101 | #680 | 1,355 | #112 |
| 1915 | 88 | #715 | 1,409 | #106 |
| 1914 | 68 | #704 | 1,076 | #103 |
| 1913 | 52 | #732 | 838 | #105 |
| 1912 | 49 | #720 | 693 | #108 |
| 1911 | 35 | #737 | 323 | #117 |
| 1910 | 52 | #574 | 313 | #102 |
| 1909 | 35 | #678 | 292 | #96 |
| 1908 | 41 | #585 | 279 | #95 |
| 1907 | 34 | #644 | 273 | #94 |
| 1906 | 29 | #683 | 263 | #88 |
| 1905 | 35 | #591 | 237 | #94 |
| 1904 | 30 | #635 | 236 | #91 |
| 1903 | 24 | #685 | 227 | #89 |
| 1902 | 37 | #532 | 251 | #85 |
| 1901 | 29 | #585 | 198 | #89 |
| 1900 | 30 | #646 | 275 | #91 |
| 1899 | 18 | #777 | 181 | #96 |
| 1898 | 24 | #673 | 228 | #90 |
| 1897 | 34 | #502 | 222 | #83 |
| 1896 | 27 | #601 | 237 | #85 |
| 1895 | 22 | #672 | 235 | #81 |
| 1894 | 36 | #469 | 223 | #87 |
| 1893 | 26 | #558 | 185 | #95 |
| 1892 | 22 | #607 | 207 | #93 |
| 1891 | 28 | #491 | 164 | #98 |
| 1890 | 20 | #590 | 181 | #96 |
| 1889 | 23 | #538 | 155 | #106 |
| 1888 | 23 | #529 | 175 | #99 |
| 1887 | 12 | #678 | 166 | #90 |
| 1886 | 8 | #865 | 136 | #114 |
| 1885 | 10 | #719 | 122 | #112 |
| 1884 | 15 | #552 | 125 | #115 |
| 1883 | 7 | #789 | 120 | #110 |
| 1882 | 9 | #659 | 122 | #119 |
| 1881 | 11 | #523 | 92 | #135 |
| 1880 | 8 | #655 | 79 | #167 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Leslie a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 383,418 Americans recorded as Leslie, 71% are girls and 29% boys. Girls have outnumbered boys among babies named Leslie every year since 1946. In 2025 it went to 393 girls and 32 boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Leslie: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Leslie, and how old are they?
289,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 75% of the 383,418 Americans ever recorded as Leslie. The median Leslie alive today is 53 years old; half are between 36 and 66.
The 2020 Census counted 290,492 people named Leslie (237,654 women and girls, 52,838 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 302,715 born in the U.S. The Census count is 4% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 8,840 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 89,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 82,100 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 54,600 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 45,400 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 8,900 |
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 Leslie born?
The states with the most babies named Leslie are California, Texas and New York, with 30% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 50,014 | #527 | 1.4× |
| Texas | 34,830 | #473 | 1.3× |
| New York | 26,495 | #963 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 18,941 | #427 | 1.0× |
| Ohio | 15,042 | #773 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 14,730 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Michigan | 12,304 | #1,152 | 0.8× |
| Florida | 10,137 | #641 | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 9,886 | #650 | 0.9× |
| New Jersey | 8,845 | #749 | 0.8× |
Where Leslie is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Leslie is most over-represented in California: since 1910 it was given 1.4 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 girls’ 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 Leslie 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 452,537 babies since 1880, Leslie is the most given (85% of them). In 2025 it was given to 425 of their 617 babies (69%), 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.
More about Leslie and names like it
- Compare Leslie and LesleyBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sLeslie peaked in 1957.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Leslie since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Leslie: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1957The year the most babies were named Leslie.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Leslie alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with LMost given first.