Leighton
Girl name · #342 in 2025 · Distinctive
Leighton is currently the #342 girl name in the United States — 892 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #470, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 2,018 girls born in 2025 was named Leighton.
The 69-year story
Leighton first appears in the Social Security records in 1956, when 6 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 892 babies and a rank of #342. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Leighton per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Leighton against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Leighton in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Leighton is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "distinctive". That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Leighton is most common
Geography matters for names, and Leighton is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Leighton is most common in NE (2.8 per 1,000), WV (2 per 1,000), OK (2 per 1,000), MS (1.8 per 1,000), AR (1.6 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.7 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Leighton is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Leighton
Statistically, parents drawn to Leighton tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Remington, Sutton, Lennon, Lorelai, and Alisson.
RemingtonSuttonLennonLorelaiAlissonLucianaEvelynnGracelynn
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Leighton | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 892 | #342 |
| 2024 | 797 | #396 |
| 2023 | 853 | #357 |
| 2022 | 842 | #376 |
| 2021 | 825 | #379 |
| 2020 | 777 | #401 |
| 2019 | 752 | #420 |
| 2018 | 712 | #449 |
| 2017 | 668 | #468 |
| 2016 | 756 | #430 |
| 2015 | 680 | #470 |
| 2014 | 568 | #544 |
| 2013 | 546 | #544 |
| 2012 | 521 | #564 |
| 2011 | 549 | #527 |
| 2010 | 452 | #647 |
| 2009 | 431 | #675 |
| 2008 | 213 | #1193 |
| 2007 | 53 | #3214 |
| 2006 | 37 | #3992 |
| 2005 | 38 | #3809 |
| 2004 | 32 | #4287 |
| 2003 | 30 | #4307 |
| 2002 | 30 | #4179 |
| 2001 | 31 | #4025 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Leighton a popular girl name?
Leighton ranked #342 among girls in 2025 with 892 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #470.
When was the name Leighton most popular?
Leighton peaked in 2025, when 892 American girls received the name (ranked #342 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Leighton?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 2,018 newborn American girls was named Leighton. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.