Leelan
A name of Hindi origin meaning "indigo-blue, celestial, divine".
Name Census estimates that about 533 living Americans carry the first name Leelan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leelan today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leelan births was 2015 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leelan. 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 Leelan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
533
~ 1 in 643,066 Americans
Peak year
2015
44 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,323
Tracked since 2005
Census
Leelan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 472 people with the first name Leelan, which placed it at #21,491 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
#21,491
National first-name rank
People counted
472
472 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
61.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leelan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leelan is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.6%) and Black (9.5%). 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 Leelan 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 Leelan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.7% · 291
- Hispanic or Latino14.6% · 69
- Black or African American9.5% · 45
- Two or more races7.2% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.9% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 5
Popularity
Leelan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leelan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 345 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leelan 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 Leelan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leelans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Leelan, while Ohio, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leelan
The name Leelan is a Hindu name of Sanskrit origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "leela," which means "play" or "sport." It is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent during ancient times.
In Hindu mythology, the concept of "leela" refers to the divine play or the cosmic dance of creation, where the divine entity engages in playful and creative activities. The name Leelan is often associated with this idea of divine playfulness and creativity.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Leelan can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Puranas and the Upanishads. These texts often mention the divine leela or play of various deities, particularly Lord Krishna, who is known for his playful and mischievous nature.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Leelan. One of the earliest known figures was Leelan Chand, a renowned Indian philosopher and scholar who lived in the 8th century CE. He is credited with writing several treatises on Advaita Vedanta, a branch of Hindu philosophy.
Another prominent figure was Leelan Singh, a Sikh warrior and military leader who fought against the Mughal Empire in the 17th century. He is remembered for his bravery and valor in defending the Sikh territories.
In more recent times, Leelan Kaywin was an Indian poet and writer who lived in the early 20th century. He is renowned for his poetic works that explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality.
Leelan Chhibber, born in 1930, was an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his contributions to the Punjabi film industry. He directed several acclaimed films and was instrumental in promoting Punjabi cinema.
Leelan Dutta, born in 1967, is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She is recognized for her expertise in the Odissi dance form and has performed extensively both nationally and internationally.
While the name Leelan is primarily associated with the Hindu culture and Sanskrit language, it has gained popularity across various regions and communities in India and beyond, reflecting the rich diversity and cultural exchange that has taken place throughout history.
People
Leelan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leelan 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
Leelan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leelan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 533 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leelan 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 643,066 US residents.
Is Leelan a common name?
We classify Leelan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 537 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leelan most popular?
The single biggest year for Leelan was 2015, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leelan is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Leelan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 472 people with the name Leelan, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,491 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 Leelan 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 Leelan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Leelan leans strongly male. 449 people counted with this name were male (93.9%), compared with 29 female bearers (6.1%). 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 Leelan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leelan is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.6%) and Black (9.5%). 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 Leelan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Leelan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.7% (291 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 Leelan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leelan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leelan 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 Leelan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leelan 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 Leelan 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 common is the name Leelan?
See how many Americans are named Leelan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.