Lesha
A masculine Russian diminutive form of Alexander, derived from Greek meaning "defender of men".
Name Census estimates that about 919 living Americans carry the first name Lesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lesha today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lesha births was 1960 (89 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lesha. 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.
People living today
919
~ 1 in 372,964 Americans
Peak year
1960
89 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1999 SSA rank
#15,800
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Lesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lesha from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 476 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
Lesha 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 Lesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Texas, Kentucky, California recorded the most babies named Lesha, while Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lesha
The given name Lesha has its origins in the Russian language, where it is a diminutive form of the name Alexei or Aleksey, which in turn is derived from the Greek name Alexios, meaning "defender" or "helper." This name has been popular in Russia and other Slavic countries for centuries.
Lesha can be traced back to the 10th century, when it was often used as a nickname for men named Alexei. The earliest recorded instances of the name Lesha appear in Russian chronicles and historical documents from that time period. It was a common name among the nobility and the peasantry alike.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Lesha was Lesha Chernigovsky, a 12th-century Russian prince who ruled the principality of Chernigov. He was known for his military exploits and his role in the conflicts between the various Russian principalities of that era.
Another prominent individual with the name Lesha was Lesha Zaporozhets, a Cossack leader who lived in the 16th century. He led a rebellion against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and played a significant role in the establishment of the Cossack Hetmanate.
In the 18th century, Lesha Naryshkin, a member of the Russian nobility, served as a diplomat and statesman under the reign of Peter the Great. He played a crucial role in negotiating several important treaties and agreements with other European powers.
Moving into the 19th century, Lesha Tolstoy, a distant relative of the famous writer Leo Tolstoy, was a prominent Russian painter and art critic. He was known for his realistic portraits and his advocacy for the development of Russian art.
In more recent times, Lesha Ivanov, a Russian ice hockey player who was born in 1983, had a successful career in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing for teams like the Detroit Red Wings and the St. Louis Blues.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Lesha, a name that has its roots in the rich cultural heritage of Russia and the Slavic world.
People
Lesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lesha 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
Lesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 919 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lesha 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 372,964 US residents.
Is Lesha a common name?
We classify Lesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,053 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Lesha was 1960, when 89 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lesha is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lesha 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.