Leck
A colloquial German word meaning "leak" or "leakage."
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Leck. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leck today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leck births was 1916 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leck. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Leck. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1916
7 babies that year
Average age
-
1923 SSA rank
#4,590
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Leck: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leck from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 7 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Leck remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leck 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 Leck during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leck
The name Leck has its origins in the Old High German language, which was spoken from around the 6th to the 11th century in present-day Germany and parts of neighboring countries. Leck is derived from the Germanic word "leck," meaning "leaky" or "dripping," likely referring to a person who lived near a spring or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leck dates back to the 9th century, when a Frankish nobleman named Leck von Ebersdorf was mentioned in the annals of the Benedictine monastery in Fulda, Germany. This suggests that the name was already in use among the aristocracy of the time.
In the 11th century, a monk named Leck von Regensburg is recorded as having authored a treatise on the medicinal properties of various herbs and plants. His work was influential in the advancement of medieval medicine and pharmacology.
During the Crusades, a knight named Leck von Mainz is said to have fought alongside Richard the Lionheart in the Third Crusade (1189-1192). He was reportedly killed in battle while defending the city of Acre from Muslim forces.
In the 14th century, a German artist named Leck von Köln (Leck of Cologne) gained recognition for his intricate wood carvings and sculptures, many of which adorned churches and cathedrals throughout the Rhineland region.
In the 16th century, a Dutch explorer named Leck Janszoon van Trappen is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to make contact with the indigenous people of what is now known as Tasmania, during his voyages to the East Indies.
While the name Leck has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has persisted in various forms and spellings across different regions and cultures. Its Old Germanic roots and associations with natural elements like water and springs have contributed to its enduring legacy as a unique and distinctive name.
People
Leck + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leck 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
Leck: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leck?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leck 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 - US residents.
Is Leck a common name?
We classify Leck as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leck most popular?
The single biggest year for Leck was 1916, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leck is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Leck in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leck a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leck in the SSA data are male. 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 Leck still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leck 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 Leck 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Leck?
Find out how many people have the name Leck on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.