Leslie
Pronounced L EH1 S L IY0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1957
- 145 years in use
- 3 spellings
How popular is Leslie?
Leslie is a name given to both boys and girls, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 434,672 children — the 138th most common girls' name on record.
It is falling away, down 70% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1957, when 6,725 children were given it.
Three other spellings are counted in that total — Lesley, Leslee and Lessley — because they are pronounced identically.
Roughly 27% of children named Leslie are boys, so the split is a real one rather than a rounding error.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Leslie and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Lesley
- Leslee
- Lessley
Characteristics
- Alliterative
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- L EH1 S L IY0 · L EH1 S L IY1 · L EY1 L IY1
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 11 · 11
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Leslie
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Leslie
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Leslie?
- Leslie ranks 138th among girls' names in US records, with 434,672 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 6,989.
- Is Leslie a unisex name?
- Yes. About 27% of children given the name are boys, which is a genuine split rather than a rounding error.
- When was Leslie most popular?
- 1957, when 6,725 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Leslie spelled?
- Lesley, Leslee, Lessley. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.