NameCensus.
Uncommon

Lesly

A feminine name of French origin meaning "grey warrior" or "grey battle".

Name Census estimates that about 15,142 living Americans carry the first name Lesly. It is a predominantly female name (96.8% of registrations). The average person named Lesly today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lesly births was 2003 (847 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Lesly. 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

  • Although Lesly is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 504 boys registered with the name since 1880.

People living today

15K

~ 1 in 22,636 Americans

Peak year

2003

847 babies that year

Average age

23

years old

2012 SSA rank

#1,100

Tracked since 1919

Gender

Gender distribution for Lesly

Lesly leans heavily female at 96.8% of total registrations, but 504 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.

97% female
Male504 (3.2%)Female15,131 (96.8%)

Lesly as a male name

  • Ranked #13,429 in 2012
  • 5 male births in 2012
  • Peak: 1989 (16 births)

Lesly as a female name

  • Ranked #1,100 in 2024
  • 222 female births in 2024
  • Peak: 2003 (839 births)

Popularity

Lesly: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Lesly from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 7,504 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.

Babies born per year

MaleFemale
0212424635847192019401960198020002020

Decades

Lesly 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 Lesly during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1910s505
1920s28028
1930s61622
1940s56267
1950s36157193
1960s76331407
1970s81227308
1980s117437554
1990s952,7292,824
2000s507,4547,504
2010s52,8502,855
2020s0868868

Geography

Where Leslys live

The SSA's state-level files cover 38 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Lesly, while Idaho, Delaware, Nebraska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 338 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Lesly

The given name Lesly has its origins in the Germanic language, derived from the Old German word "Lescelin" or "Lesceline," which means "little darling" or "little sweetheart." This name was prevalent during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions where Germanic tribes settled, such as parts of modern-day Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

The earliest recorded use of the name Lesly can be traced back to the 12th century, where it was sometimes spelled as "Lesceline" or "Lescelin." One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Lesceline de Vermandois, a French noblewoman who lived in the late 12th century and was known for her piety and charitable works.

In the 13th century, the name Lesly appeared in various historical records and documents, often associated with individuals of noble or influential backgrounds. For instance, Lesly de Marle was a French knight who participated in the Seventh Crusade during the 13th century.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as "Leslie," "Lesly," and "Lesley." One notable figure with this name was Lesley of Scotland, a 16th-century Scottish nobleman who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation and served as the Earl of Rothes.

Another individual of historical significance was Lesly Grogan, an Irish soldier and military leader who served in the French army during the 17th century. He was known for his bravery and military exploits during the Thirty Years' War and the Franco-Spanish War.

In the 18th century, Lesly Pole, an English novelist and playwright, gained recognition for her literary works, including the novel "The Travels of Cyrus" and several plays that were performed on the London stage.

Moving into the 19th century, Lesly Stahl, an American journalist and correspondent for CBS News, was born in 1941. She is renowned for her investigative reporting and has covered numerous high-profile stories throughout her career.

While the name Lesly has its roots in the Germanic language and was initially more common in parts of Europe, it has since gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

People

Lesly + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Lesly 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

Lesly: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Lesly?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15,142 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lesly 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 22,636 US residents.

Is Lesly a common name?

We classify Lesly as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15,635 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Lesly most popular?

The single biggest year for Lesly was 2003, when 847 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lesly is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Lesly a female name?

Yes, 96.8% of people registered as Lesly 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.

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