Girl’s name · Scottish

Lesley

How to say it: LEZ-lee · /ˈlɛzli/

Scottish surname and given name from a place name meaning 'garden of hollies' or 'grey fortress'.

Lesley was the 510th most popular girls’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 30 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1970s, its births are down about 52% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #603 by 2030.

Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures

#510for girls in 2025
1 in 5,796US babies
30born in 2025
#603projected for 2030
1970sits peak decade
under 1 in 200chance a classmate shares it

Key facts

Key facts about Lesley
Rank among girls’ names, 2025#510
Babies born in 202530
Share of births1 in 5,796
Peak decade1970s
Change over 10 years−52%
Projected rank for 2030 (estimate)#603
In France, 2025#756 among girls’ names, 0 births

Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.

Its life, decade by decade

Lesley peaked in the 1970s and is less common today.

1900195020002020–25
Peak: 500 per million births, 1970s.

What goes with it

Nicknames

  • Les
  • Lee

Honouring a Lesley in the family

In the classroom

In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Lesley is about under 1 in 200.

Around the world

This spelling is used in English.

In France: #756 for girls in 2025.

Famous people named Lesley

From Wikidata and Wikipedia

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