Les

Did you know?

A few things about Les you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Les

Les Paul

American jazz guitarist, country guitarist, songwriter and inventor (1915–2009)

Choose Les and your child shares a first name with Les Paul, an American jazz guitarist, country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Les, like who?” Les Paul's Wikipedia article is available in 63 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Les Paul on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: William P. Gottlieb, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 156,250 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Les, 11 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Les would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLes first shows up in US birth records in 1900, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 125 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1961, when it ranked #586. Today it's #7,194, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🚀TrendLes has climbed 308 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #7,194. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.

About the name Les

Les is a boy name of English, Latin and Scottish origin. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with L and ending in “-les”. US birth records list Les for boys from 1900 to 2025, in 106 of those 126 years. Its best year was 1961, when it ranked #586 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #7,194, with 11 babies.

Origin:English namesLatin namesScottish names