Leann
A feminine name of Celtic origin meaning "light bearer".
Name Census estimates that about 20,887 living Americans carry the first name Leann. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leann today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leann births was 1963 (636 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leann. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Leann with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
21K
~ 1 in 16,410 Americans
Peak year
1963
636 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1981 SSA rank
#3,778
Tracked since 1925
Census
Leann in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 22,092 people with the first name Leann, which placed it at #1,504 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#1,504
National first-name rank
People counted
22K
22,092 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
7.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
83.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leann
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leann is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Leann described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Leann at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 18,439
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 1,204
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 782
- Black or African American3.2% · 697
- Two or more races2.8% · 627
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 343
Gender
Gender distribution for Leann
Out of the 24,329 babies given the name Leann since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Leann as a male name
- Ranked #5,250 in 1981
- 7 male births in 1981
- Peak: 1981 (7 births)
Leann as a female name
- Ranked #3,778 in 2024
- 40 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1963 (636 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Leann appears almost entirely female. Of the 22,094 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Leann: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leann from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 6,057 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leann by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Leann during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leanns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 44 states and territories. California, Texas, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Leann, while Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 467 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leann
The name Leann has its origins in the Gaelic language and is a variant of the name Liana or Lianna, which means "suffused with light" or "little fighter." It is believed to have been derived from the Old Irish name Liamhain, which was a feminine form of the masculine name Liamhan, meaning "elm tree" or "protector."
The earliest recorded use of the name Leann dates back to the 6th century CE in Ireland, where it was a popular name among Celtic families. It was particularly prevalent in the regions of Connacht and Ulster, where Gaelic culture and traditions were deeply rooted.
In ancient Celtic mythology, there are references to a warrior princess named Leann, who was renowned for her bravery and skill in battle. While the historical accuracy of this figure is uncertain, her legend has contributed to the association of the name with strength and resilience.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Leann. One of the earliest recorded was Leann of Áth Cliath, a 9th-century Irish nun and scribe who is credited with the preservation of several ancient manuscripts.
Another prominent figure was Leann Nic Dhòmhnaill (c. 1300-1380), a renowned Scottish poet and noblewoman from the Isle of Islay. Her works, written in Scottish Gaelic, are considered significant contributions to the literary heritage of the region.
In the 16th century, Leann Ní Chearbhalláin (c. 1530-1590) was an Irish chieftain and military leader who played a crucial role in the Desmond Rebellions against English rule in Ireland.
In the realm of arts and literature, Leann Beag (c. 1655-1730), also known as Eileen Aroon, was an Irish poet and songwriter whose works celebrated the natural beauty of her homeland and the resilience of the Irish people.
More recently, Leann Rimes (born 1982) is an American country music singer and songwriter who achieved commercial success at a young age and has won numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards.
While the name Leann has its roots in Gaelic culture, it has gained popularity across various regions and has been adopted by families of diverse backgrounds, reflecting the rich tapestry of cultural influences that shape naming traditions.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Leann
People
Leann + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leann as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Leann: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leann?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20,887 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leann going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 16,410 US residents.
Is Leann a common name?
We classify Leann as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 24,329 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leann most popular?
The single biggest year for Leann was 1963, when 636 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leann is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Leann in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 22,092 people with the name Leann, or 7.31 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #1,504 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Leann in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Leann?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Leann appears almost entirely female. Of the 22,094 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Leann?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leann is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Leann most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Leann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (18,439 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Leann in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leann a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leann in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Leann still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leann in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Leann can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Leann?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.