How popular is the name Leif?

Leif ranks 1,066th among boys' names in US records, with 10,155 births since 1912. Over the past decade it accounts for 2,377.

Is Leif a unisex name?

No. Leif is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.

2022, when 298 children were given the name. It has been in use for 113 years and is still recorded as of 2024.

Lief, Leaf. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.

Boy name#1,066 of boy names

Pronounced L IY1 F (ARPABET)

Leif is a boys' name, and first appears in 1912. It has been given to 10,155 children — the 1,066th most common boys' name on record.

It is gaining, with the past decade running 38% ahead of the one before it. Its best single year was 2022, when 298 children were given it.

Two other spellings are counted in that total — Lief and Leaf — because they are pronounced identically.

2022Boys: 298Girls: 0

These spellings sound identical to Leif and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

Phonetic detail

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

How popular is the name Leif?: Leif ranks 1,066th among boys' names in US records, with 10,155 births since 1912. Over the past decade it accounts for 2,377.
Is Leif a unisex name?: No. Leif is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Leif most popular?: 2022, when 298 children were given the name. It has been in use for 113 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Leif spelled?: Lief, Leaf. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.