unisex name
Lesley
LEZ-lee
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 44,582
Northern Ireland
#288
1999 births
Lesley is the Scottish spelling and Scotland proves it — a peak of 341 births there in 1974, far above what the country's size would predict against an American high of 981. By convention Lesley became the feminine spelling and Leslie the masculine.
- Lesley is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 1980, when 981 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 110,522 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Lesley started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1882.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lesley over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 11 |
| 1890s | 23 |
| 1900s | 74 |
| 1910s | 325 |
| 1920s | 571 |
| 1930s | 582 |
| 1940s | 2,053 |
| 1950s | 3,934 |
| 1960s | 5,985 |
| 1970s | 8,347 |
| 1980s | 6,778 |
| 1990s | 4,831 |
| 2000s | 4,224 |
| 2010s | 1,123 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 237 |
What Lesley means
Lesley means the garden of hollies, on the commonest reading. The Scottish place name behind it is disputed, so the meaning is inherited from an uncertain source.
Where Lesley comes from
Lesley is a Scottish place name in Aberdeenshire, taken as a surname by the Leslie family and later used as a given name. Its own derivation is disputed — the garden of hollies is the usual account, from the Gaelic leas celyn, while a gray fortress reading has also been argued. By convention Lesley became the feminine spelling and Leslie the masculine, though the split was never absolute and our data records both.
Lesley in use
Lesley peaked in the United States in 1980, when 981 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. Scotland ran a much larger peak of 341 births in 1974 and Ireland 54 in 1981, both far above the American figure once population is taken into account. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track now, at 4654th in the United States on 30 births, across 44,582 lifetime births.
How popular is Lesley?
In 2025, Lesley was given to 30 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Lesley is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Lesley
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lesley also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lesley over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Lesley
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Lesley in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Lesley
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lesley — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lesley
What does the name Lesley mean?
The garden of hollies, on the commonest reading — though the place name is disputed.
Is Lesley or Leslie the girls' spelling?
By convention Lesley is feminine and Leslie masculine, but the split was never absolute.
Where is Lesley strongest?
Scotland, which peaked at 341 births in 1974.
How popular is Lesley now?
4654th in the United States, down from a 1980 peak of 981 births.
How many syllables are in Lesley?
Lesley has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Lesley?
Lesley is usually shortened to Les.
Is Lesley a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lesley currently ranks #4,654 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.