Nickname Spotlight: Getting to Gus

Leif

The name Leif peaked for girls at #11328 in 1981. Leif is also used for boys, ranking #917 in 2025.

The name Leif is a boy's name of Scandinavian origin meaning "heir, descendant".

Names that Peaked in 1979

Scandinavian Names for Boys

4 Letter Boy Names

Names Ending in F for Boys

Names That Mean Descendant

One Syllable Names for Boys

Scandinavian Names

Boy Dog Names That Start With L

Dog Names That Start With L

Scandinavian Names that Start With L

Leif is one of the most recognizable <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/173/scandinavian-names">Scandinavian names</a>, thanks to Icelandic  explorer Leif Erikson, and is still one of the best, with a pleasant aural association with the word leaf. 
<br/><br/>Leif Erikson, son of explorer Eric the Red, was the first European to land in North America--some five hundred years before Columbus.  Centuries later, the name became associated in the U.S. with 1970s teen idol Leif Garrett, the name peaking on the charts at Number 654 in 1970, dropping off completely in 1987.  It climbed back onto the Top 1000 in 2014.
<br/><br/>Pronounced LAYF or LIFE in its Scandinavian milieu, Leif and Lief are sometimes pronounced as Leaf in English-speaking countries. Joaquin Phoenix was for a time known as Leaf, in keeping with the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/329/nature-baby-names">nature names</a> of his siblings. 

Olympic Baby Names

Cool Baby Names That Start With L

Boy Names More Popular Than You Think

Trending Boy Names

New Baby Boy Names

Husky Names

Names to Substitute for Reed

Unique Names from History

Unique, Rare, and Uncommon Boy Names (with Meanings and Origins)

International Baby Boy Names

Viking Names

Rebel Poet Names

Dog Names

Nature Names for Babies

Trending Baby Names

Middle Names for Boys (with Meanings and Popularity)

Scandinavian

Nameberry

Unique

Future

England

Germany

The name Leif is currently ranked #917 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #638 in 1979. The name is most popular in LEIF, LEIF, and LEIF. Leif is occasionally used for girls in 1981.

Leif

About Leif

Leif in blog posts

Advanced Search

Save Leif