Leslie
Girl name · #713 in 2025 · Rare
Leslie ranks #713 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 393 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #371, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 4,580 girls born in 2025 was named Leslie.
The 145-year story
Leslie first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 8 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1957, when 6,103 girls were named Leslie — good for #77 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 Leslie per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Leslie against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Leslie in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Leslie is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Leslie will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Leslie is most common
Geography matters for names, and Leslie is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Leslie is most common in MD (0.7 per 1,000), IL (0.6 per 1,000), TX (0.4 per 1,000), CA (0.4 per 1,000), AZ (0.4 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.3 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Leslie is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Leslie
Statistically, parents drawn to Leslie tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Julie, Billie, Laurel, Anne, and Janie.
JulieBillieLaurelAnneJanieAngieNadineMelodie
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Leslie | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 393 | #712 |
| 2024 | 496 | #605 |
| 2023 | 440 | #670 |
| 2022 | 453 | #651 |
| 2021 | 477 | #623 |
| 2020 | 488 | #595 |
| 2019 | 572 | #536 |
| 2018 | 601 | #521 |
| 2017 | 704 | #449 |
| 2016 | 807 | #413 |
| 2015 | 880 | #371 |
| 2014 | 1,000 | #338 |
| 2013 | 1,111 | #287 |
| 2012 | 1,226 | #266 |
| 2011 | 1,286 | #246 |
| 2010 | 1,565 | #199 |
| 2009 | 1,983 | #160 |
| 2008 | 2,326 | #147 |
| 2007 | 2,690 | #127 |
| 2006 | 3,036 | #108 |
| 2005 | 3,123 | #103 |
| 2004 | 3,501 | #93 |
| 2003 | 3,639 | #91 |
| 2002 | 3,522 | #91 |
| 2001 | 3,612 | #84 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Leslie a popular girl name?
Leslie ranked #713 among girls in 2025 with 393 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #371.
When was the name Leslie most popular?
Leslie peaked in 1957, when 6,103 American girls received the name (ranked #77 that year). Since 1957 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Leslie?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 4,580 newborn American girls was named Leslie. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it 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.