Lesley
Below 5 births
2025 SSA
About Lesley
Lesley as a masculine name derives from Scottish habitational surname origins, combining elements meaning "garden of holly" or "holly meadow." Though now more commonly used for girls in the United States, Lesley has a long tradition as a boy's name in Scotland and England. The masculine usage remains more prevalent in the UK, while Americans often prefer the spelling "Leslie" for boys.
Lesley for boys
The name peaked in male usage during the mid-20th century when actor and director Lesley Selander helped maintain its masculine associations. In the last year counted, no baby boys were named Lesley in the US, though about 40 boys were called Leslie, along with over 400 baby girls.
Lesley for girls#4617 US
Lesley runs a distant second to more popular sister Leslie, used for about 30 baby girls in one recent year vs. Leslie's 400+. And interestingly, no baby boys were named Lesley though about 40 were named Leslie. Once one of the most widely-used girl names starting with L, Lesley and Leslie now trail behind trendy L-starting girl names like Layla and Lily.
Pronounced LEZ-lee.
As of October 2026, Lesley ranked #9357 in US births in 2016 SSA, peaked at #541 in 1903.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | #1,814 | 113 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | #2,050 | 96 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | #2,438 | 76 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | #3,117 | 52 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | #2,769 | 62 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | #3,149 | 51 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | #3,122 | 51 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | #3,846 | 39 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | #3,192 | 51 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | #4,699 | 29 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | #4,074 | 36 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | #4,617 | 30 |
Similar names
These 40 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Lesley.
Similar boy names
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Lesley on lists
Famous Lesleys
- Lesley James McNairBoy
U.S. Lieutenant General in WWI and II
- Lesley Gore (born Lesley Sue Goldstein)Girl
American pop singer
- Lesley Ann WarrenGirl
American actress
- Lesley Rene StahlGirl
American TV journalist
- Lesley Candace VisserGirl
American sportscaster
- Lesley DuncanGirl
English singer,songwriter
- Lesley GarrettGirl
English operatic soprano
- Lesley ManvilleGirl
English actress
- Lesley Rosemary Turner BowreyGirl
Australian tennis player
- Lesley SharpGirl
English actress
Lesley in pop culture
- Lesley UniversityGirl
school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA