Lesley
Girl name · #4555 in 2025 · Uniqueness 90/100
Lesley is currently the #4555 girl name in the United States — 30 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #2039, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 60,000 girls born in 2025 was named Lesley.
The 132-year story
Lesley first appears in the Social Security records in 1893, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1980, when 928 girls were named Lesley — good for #269 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. 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 Lesley per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Lesley against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Lesley in class?
Lesley scores 90 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Lesley will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Lesley is most common
State-level data for Lesley is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Lesley
Statistically, parents drawn to Lesley tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Holley, Starla, Imelda, Stacey, and Kristy.
HolleyStarlaImeldaStaceyKristyDarciLeeannHalley
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Lesley | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 30 | #4546 |
| 2024 | 36 | #4039 |
| 2023 | 29 | #4655 |
| 2022 | 51 | #3171 |
| 2021 | 40 | #3735 |
| 2020 | 51 | #3091 |
| 2019 | 51 | #3130 |
| 2018 | 62 | #2744 |
| 2017 | 52 | #3091 |
| 2016 | 76 | #2426 |
| 2015 | 96 | #2039 |
| 2014 | 113 | #1804 |
| 2013 | 120 | #1725 |
| 2012 | 131 | #1639 |
| 2011 | 175 | #1329 |
| 2010 | 219 | #1122 |
| 2009 | 223 | #1132 |
| 2008 | 254 | #1030 |
| 2007 | 353 | #813 |
| 2006 | 371 | #743 |
| 2005 | 382 | #715 |
| 2004 | 451 | #610 |
| 2003 | 452 | #603 |
| 2002 | 471 | #563 |
| 2001 | 509 | #523 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Lesley a popular girl name?
Lesley ranked #4555 among girls in 2025 with 30 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2039.
When was the name Lesley most popular?
Lesley peaked in 1980, when 928 American girls received the name (ranked #269 that year). Since 1980 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Lesley?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 60,000 newborn American girls was named Lesley. It scores 90/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
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.