Leslie

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Leslie

Leslie Nielsen

Canadian-American actor and comedian (1926–2010)

Choose Leslie and your child shares a first name with Leslie Nielsen, a Canadian-American actor and comedian. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Leslie, like who?” Leslie Nielsen's Wikipedia article is available in 78 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Leslie Nielsen on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Alan Light, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,090 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Leslie, 393 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Leslie would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLeslie has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Leslies, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1981, when it ranked #56. Today it's #712, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowLeslie was 8.2× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 501 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 4,090.
• 🍂TrendLeslie has slipped 117 places over the last five years and now sits at #712. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedLeslie is most popular in Maryland, where it ranks #400, followed by Illinois (#417) and Kentucky (#443). It's in the top 1,000 in 15 states.

About the name Leslie

Leslie is a girl name of Celtic, English and Scottish origin. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with L and ending in “-lie”. US birth records list Leslie for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1981, when it ranked #56 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #712, with 393 babies.

Origin:Celtic namesEnglish namesScottish names