Lesley

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Lesley

Lesley Manville

British actress (born 1956)

Choose Lesley and your child shares a first name with Lesley Manville, a British actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Lesley, like who?” Lesley Manville's Wikipedia article is available in 40 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Lesley Manville on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Mark Kari, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 53,476 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Lesley, 30 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Lesley would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLesley first shows up in US birth records in 1882, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 143 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1979, when it ranked #267. Today it's #4,546, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowLesley was 19× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,760 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 53,476.
• 🍂TrendLesley has slipped 1,455 places over the last five years and now sits at #4,546. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningIn Scottish, Lesley means “holly garden”. Our records link it to Celtic, English and Scottish roots.

About the name Lesley

Lesley is a girl name of Celtic, English and Scottish origin meaning “holly garden”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with L and ending in “-ley”. US birth records list Lesley for girls from 1893 to 2025, in 115 of those 133 years. Its best year was 1979, when it ranked #267 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #4,546, with 30 babies.

Origin:Celtic namesEnglish namesScottish names