Total births
279
Boys' name · since 1948
Lief
Lief has 279 recorded births since 1948 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1999 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 279
- total births
- 1948–2023
- years on record
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 24%
- born in that decade
Lief sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 279 recorded since 1948.
Social Security Administration records show Lief recorded 279 times among boys since 1948, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1948 to 2023.
- 279 total births
- 1948–2023 years on record
- 1970s peak decade
- 24% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
279 boys have been named Lief since 1948, peaking in the 1970s, last recorded in 2023.
- 279
- total births
- 1948–2023
- years on record
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 24%
- born in that decade
1970s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Lief was born in this single decade.
1999
Single peak year
12 babies were named Lief in 1999 - its busiest year on record.
Lief's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Lief splits its recorded history at 1981: 50% of all births land in the more recent half, 50% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1954 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1999 peak of 12 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Lief at a glance
Last recorded 2023Peak year
1999
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1948
Lief popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1948–2023
- Peak year (1999)
- 12
- Annual births at peak, across 76 years of records
Lief by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Lief's strongest decade.
66 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Lief births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 6
1940s
6 births
- 1950s 16
1950s
16 births
- 1960s
1960s
43 births
- 1970s
1970s
66 births
- 1980s
1980s
46 births
- 1990s
1990s
38 births
- 2000s
2000s
31 births
- 2010s 14
2010s
14 births
- 2020s 19
2020s
19 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 66 births (24% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lief? ▼
Lief has been given to 279 babies in the U.S. since 1948, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2023. 12 babies were born in 1999, its single highest year.
When was Lief most popular? ▼
Lief was most popular in the 1970s decade with 66 total births. The single peak year was 1999.
How long has the name Lief been used? ▼
Records for Lief go back to 1948, giving 76 years of history through 2023.
What names are similar to Lief? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Liem, Liev, Lieutenant, Liel, and 3 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Lief's data
- Lief's decade-level peak was the 1970s (66 total births); usage has since declined to 19 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lief
Nearby Names Like Lief
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lief
Liem Boy
#5754 742 births
Liev Boy
#4184 521 births
Lieutenant Boy
199 births
Liel Boy
#8091 111 births
Lien Boy
6 births
Compare Lief side by side: Lief vs Liem Lief vs Liev Lief vs Lieutenant
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1948–2023 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Lief: Baby Name Since 1948 - 279 Births, Peak 1999." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/lief. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Lief 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 July 2026.