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.
- #11,039 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 279
- born since 1948
- 1970s
- peak 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.
- #11,039 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 279 born since 1948
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lief ranks #11,039 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 279 born since 1948, peaking in the 1970s.
- #11,039 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 279
- born since 1948
- 1970s
- peak decade
Lief's 279 recorded births place it above 75.72% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
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 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
1970s is the heaviest window (66 births, 24% of the file).
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
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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.
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
Compare Lief side by side: Lief vs Liem Lief vs Liev Lief vs Lieutenant
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Lief: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1999)
Similar record span (~75 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, 1948–2023 (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 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 August 2026.