Lezlie
A feminine name of English origin, meaning "gray" or "from the gray settlement".
Name Census estimates that about 2,041 living Americans carry the first name Lezlie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lezlie today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lezlie births was 1962 (95 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lezlie. 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
2.0K
~ 1 in 167,935 Americans
Peak year
1962
95 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2022 SSA rank
#14,577
Tracked since 1944
Popularity
Lezlie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lezlie from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 646 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
Lezlie 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 Lezlie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lezlies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Texas, California, Washington recorded the most babies named Lezlie, while Oregon, Kansas, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 45 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lezlie
The name Lezlie is an English variant of the name Leslie, which originated from an ancient Norman family in Scotland. The name is believed to have derived from the Old French phrase "l'isle," meaning "the island," referring to a family estate near Kingussie in Inverness-shire.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century, with mention of a Leslyn family in Fife, Scotland. Over time, the spelling evolved into various forms, including Lesley, Lesly, Leslye, and Lezlie.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Andrew Leslie, a Scottish nobleman who lived in the late 13th century. He served as the Governor of Edinburgh Castle and played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 16th century, John Leslie (1526-1596) was a prominent Scottish scholar and Catholic prelate. He served as the Bishop of Ross and was a staunch supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots.
In the literary world, the name gained recognition through the works of Scottish novelist Fiona Macleod, whose real name was William Sharp (1856-1905). He often used the pen name "Fiona Lezlie" for his writings.
Another notable bearer of the name was Lezlie Linden (1903-1998), an American actress and dancer who appeared in several Broadway productions and Hollywood films during the 1920s and 1930s.
In the realm of sports, Lezlie Ivory (born 1990) is a former American Olympic track and field athlete who specialized in the hurdles events. She won a silver medal in the 4x400-meter relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
While the name Lezlie is primarily associated with the English language and Scottish heritage, it has gained popularity in various parts of the world due to its unique spelling and historical significance.
People
Lezlie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lezlie 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
Lezlie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lezlie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,041 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lezlie 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 167,935 US residents.
Is Lezlie a common name?
We classify Lezlie as "Rare". It ranks above 93.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,399 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lezlie most popular?
The single biggest year for Lezlie was 1962, when 95 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lezlie is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lezlie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lezlie 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.