Leland
Leland was the 494th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 612 babies. Its best year was 1921, when it ranked 171st; the most babies were born in 2007 (1,029). Over the last ten years it has moved down 116 places. More babies were named Leland in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Irish, English
Say it LEE-lund /ˈlilənd/
- Rank in 2025
- #494 boys, down 24 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 612boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20071,029 babies
- Total since 1880
- 58,556babies recorded
What does the name Leland mean?
Leland is a surname used as a first name. Wiktionary derives it from a shortening of McLeland or McClellan, Irish Mac Giolla Fhaoláin, "son of the servant of Saint Faolán", Faolán meaning "little wolf". The surname also matches the English place name Leyland in Lancashire, though that origin is not covered by the sources consulted. Leland Stanford, founder of Stanford University, is a famous bearer.
Mac Giolla Fhaoláin (Irish, “son of the servant of Faolán”)Faolán (Irish, “little wolf”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Wiktionary gives an Irish origin; an English place-name origin is also possible but not covered here.
Related names: Lee, Leyland, Lelan.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Leland', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Leland', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Leland
The usual nicknames for Leland are Lee. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Leland in the last five years, 61 were named Lee, against 253 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee · also for Leroy | Traditional | #727 | 1,870 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Lelands go by each one.
Leland popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 557 since 1884, 14 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #494 | 612 |
| 2020 | #470 | 635 |
| 2010 | #325 | 964 |
| 2000 | #1,057 | 136 |
| 1990 | #610 | 272 |
| 1980 | #601 | 209 |
| 1970 | #496 | 268 |
| 1960 | #390 | 409 |
| 1950 | #281 | 559 |
| 1940 | #210 | 608 |
| 1930 | #198 | 706 |
| 1920 | #177 | 799 |
| 1910 | #242 | 97 |
| 1900 | #228 | 76 |
| 1890 | #252 | 45 |
| 1880 | #664 | 9 |
How popular is Leland, counting every spelling?
Leland is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #446 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #494 for Leland on its own. Together these spellings went to 706 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leland | 612 | #494 | 3,056 |
| Leeland | 94 | #1,740 | 551 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Leland?
612 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Leland (0.17 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Leland born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Leland.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Leland?
About 31,900 people born in the US named Leland are alive today, with a median age of 23; half are between 12 and 63. That makes Leland mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Leland by state
How common Leland was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Michigan (3.3×), West Virginia (3.2×), Kentucky (2.2×), Idaho (2.2×), Wisconsin (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Nevada, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Leland: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Leland, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Leland · Sibling names for Leland
Questions about the name Leland
What does Leland mean?
The origin of Leland is uncertain: Wiktionary gives an Irish origin; an English place-name origin is also possible but not covered here.
How popular is the name Leland?
Leland was the 494th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 612 babies. Its best year was 1921, when it ranked 171st; the most babies were born in 2007 (1,029). Over the last ten years it has moved down 116 places. More babies were named Leland in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Leland a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Leland in the US.
Where is Leland most popular?
In 2021–2025, Leland was most common in Michigan (1.17 per 1,000 boys), followed by West Virginia and Kentucky.