Leslie

Leslie - A very unique male name

Leslie appeared on the charts for the first time in 1910 on position #103. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Leslie and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Leslie? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Leslie. The baby boy name Leslie was given to 5 baby boys in 2023, ranking #4162 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 292,965 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Leslie peaked in popularity 108 years ago in 1918 on position 102.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Leslie, 1-5?

Leslie is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Leslie is currently topping the baby name charts in California at position #2,665 - and is the least popular in California at position #2,665.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Leslie is where you live.

---

Comment and discuss

---

Leslie origin and meaning

Scottish (surname and place name)

A transferred Scottish surname from a place name, probably Gaelic leas celyn, 'garden of hollies'

Leslie began as a Scottish barony and surname and became a given name for both sexes; this is the boys' profile. In the boys' data from 1910 it peaked in 1952 and reached 103,886 lifetime births; it was still recorded in 2020 but has no births recorded in 2025. For boys the name has retreated as girls' use became dominant in the late 20th century.

Attested etymology

Leslie is a 6 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Leslie, pop culture references for the name Leslie and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Leslie

We've found the following names that sound similar to Leslie, sorted by popularity.

Lesley / Laszlo / Lesly / Lecil / Lazlo / Lysle / Lisle / Lucille / Lasalle / Lexiel /

---

Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Leslie

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Leslie a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Leslie?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

---

Pronunciation

LEZ-lee · /ˈlɛzli/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Lesley — The -ey spelling, also used for the surname name
• Leslee — A phonetic spelling variant

Nicknames: Les

Famous bearers

• Leslie Nielsen — Canadian-American comic actor, star of Airplane! and The Naked Gun (1926–2010) Contemporary

Style

SurnamePlace nameClassic

Why parents choose it

A distinguished Scottish surname name for boys, with perfect deadpan fame in Leslie Nielsen — now rare for boys as the name's centre of gravity moved to girls.

Worth knowing

• Most modern Americans read Leslie as a girls' name
• No births recorded in 2025 for boys