Leean
A diminutive of the Irish name Liana, meaning "little fighter or warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 75 living Americans carry the first name Leean. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leean today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leean births was 2009 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leean. 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 Leean. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
75
~ 1 in 4,570,058 Americans
Peak year
2009
9 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2013 SSA rank
#18,119
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Leean: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leean from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 23 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
Leean 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 Leean 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 Leean
The name Leean is believed to have originated from the Old English language, which was spoken in parts of Britain from the 5th to the 12th centuries. It is derived from the Old English word "lēan," meaning "to reward" or "to give back." This suggests that the name Leean may have been associated with individuals who were generous, rewarding, or reciprocal in their actions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leean can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals that documented the history of the Anglo-Saxons from the 9th century onwards. The name appears in an entry from the year 867, where it is mentioned as the name of a nobleman who played a role in a battle against Danish invaders.
In the 11th century, a figure named Leean was recorded as a member of the clergy in the town of Winchester, England. This individual is believed to have been a scholar and a scribe, contributing to the preservation of knowledge and literature during a time when monastic centers were crucial for learning and education.
During the Middle Ages, the name Leean was also associated with a renowned poet and philosopher from the city of Exeter. Born in 1204, Leean of Exeter was known for his works that combined elements of poetry, philosophy, and theology. His writings were widely circulated and studied across Europe, influencing intellectual discourse in the 13th century.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Leean played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Leean Tyndale, born in 1494, was an English scholar and translator who was instrumental in translating the Bible into English from the original Greek and Hebrew texts. His work paved the way for wider access to Scripture and contributed to the spread of Protestantism in England.
Another notable individual with the name Leean was a Scottish explorer and adventurer born in 1678. Leean Macpherson was known for his expeditions into the uncharted territories of North America, where he made important discoveries and documented his travels, contributing to the knowledge of the region's geography and indigenous cultures.
While the name Leean may not have been as common as some other given names, it has left its mark throughout history, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields, from literature and religion to exploration and scholarship.
People
Leean + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leean 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
Leean: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leean?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 75 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leean 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 4,570,058 US residents.
Is Leean a common name?
We classify Leean as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 83 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leean most popular?
The single biggest year for Leean was 2009, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leean is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leean a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leean 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.
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.