Lesli
Lesli was the 8138th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked 839th; the most babies were born in 2001 (166). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,743 places. More babies were named Lesli in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Leslie) garden of hollies (Scottish place name) · Scottish Gaelic
- Rank in 2025
- #8,138 girls, down 1,335 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 13girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2001166 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,799babies recorded
What does the name Lesli mean?
Lesli is a spelling of Leslie, pronounced the same way, so it shares Leslie's meaning and origin.
Leslie is a Scottish surname from a place name in Aberdeenshire. Wiktionary gives the older form Lesslyn and explains it as Scottish Gaelic lios cuileann, garden or enclosure of hollies. The surname then became a boys' name. Wiktionary notes that its use for girls is mostly American. In the US both sexes have used it since records began in 1880.
lios (Scottish Gaelic, “enclosure, garden”)cuileann (Scottish Gaelic, “holly”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary only; place-name etymologies of this kind are often uncertain.
Related names: Lesley, Les, Lesli.
See also: Scottish names, names that mean tree, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Leslie' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Lesli popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,138 | 13 |
| 2020 | #6,803 | 17 |
| 2010 | #2,469 | 76 |
| 2000 | #1,316 | 145 |
| 1990 | #2,452 | 50 |
| 1980 | #1,429 | 86 |
| 1970 | #1,086 | 110 |
| 1960 | #1,231 | 79 |
| 1950 | #2,219 | 20 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Lesli, counting every spelling?
Lesli is a spelling of Leslie, a name family that ranked #518 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #8,138 for Lesli on its own. Together these spellings went to 585 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leslie | 393 | #712 | 2,259 |
| Lesly | 149 | #1,448 | 853 |
| Lesley | 30 | #4,617 | 186 |
| Lesli | 13 | #8,138 | 77 |
| Leslee | — | — | 34 |
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 Lesli?
13 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lesli (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lesli 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 646 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lesli.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lesli?
About 5,400 people born in the US named Lesli are alive today, with a median age of 42; half are between 24 and 57. That makes Lesli mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Lesli by state
How common Lesli was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lesli: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lesli, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Lesli
What does Lesli mean?
Lesli is a spelling of Leslie, which means “garden of hollies (Scottish place name)” (Scottish Gaelic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lesli?
Lesli was the 8138th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked 839th; the most babies were born in 2001 (166). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,743 places. More babies were named Lesli in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Lesli a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lesli in the US.
Where is Lesli most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lesli was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 girls).