Leshawn
An anglicization of the French name Leshaun meaning "the poet".
Name Census estimates that about 1,054 living Americans carry the first name Leshawn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 71.9% of registrations being male. The average person named Leshawn today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leshawn births was 1976 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leshawn. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 325,194 Americans
Peak year
1976
44 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2021 SSA rank
#8,548
Tracked since 1964
Gender
Gender distribution for Leshawn
Leshawn is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,112 total registrations, 800 (71.9%) were male and 312 (28.1%) were female.
Leshawn as a male name
- Ranked #10,352 in 2021
- 7 male births in 2021
- Peak: 1976 (27 births)
Leshawn as a female name
- Ranked #8,548 in 1996
- 10 female births in 1996
- Peak: 1974 (28 births)
Popularity
Leshawn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leshawn from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 348 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leshawn 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 Leshawn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leshawns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Leshawn, while Ohio, Illinois, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leshawn
The name Leshawn has its origins in the African American culture, emerging as a distinct name in the 20th century. It is a combination of the French prefix "le" and the English name "Shawn," derived from the Irish name "Seán," meaning "God is gracious."
While the name Leshawn does not have a documented history in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its roots can be traced back to the African American community's efforts to create unique and culturally significant names for their children during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. This period saw a surge in the popularization of distinctly African American names as a means of asserting cultural identity and pride.
The earliest recorded use of the name Leshawn can be found in birth records from the late 1960s and early 1970s. One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name was Leshawn Holden, an American football defensive back who played for the University of Southern California from 1986 to 1990.
Another prominent figure with the name Leshawn is Leshawn Merritt, an American track and field sprinter born in 1986. He is a former Olympic champion and world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles. Merritt's success on the international stage has contributed to the recognition and popularity of the name Leshawn.
Leshawn Riddick, born in 1981, is a former professional basketball player who played in the NBA for teams like the Orlando Magic and the New Jersey Nets. His athletic achievements have also brought attention to the name Leshawn.
Leshawn Henderson, born in 1977, is an American singer and songwriter known for her work in the gospel and contemporary Christian music genres. Her contributions to the music industry have further popularized the name Leshawn.
Leshawn Merritt, a different individual from the Olympic sprinter mentioned earlier, is a former professional American football defensive back who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Houston Texans in the early 2000s. His presence in the NFL has added to the visibility of the name Leshawn in sports.
People
Leshawn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leshawn 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
Leshawn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leshawn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,054 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leshawn 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 325,194 US residents.
Is Leshawn a common name?
We classify Leshawn as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,112 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leshawn most popular?
The single biggest year for Leshawn was 1976, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leshawn is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leshawn a male name?
Yes, 71.9% of people registered as Leshawn 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.
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.