Westleigh
An English place name composed of "west" and "leigh" (meadow or clearing).
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Westleigh. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Westleigh today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Westleigh births was 1988 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Westleigh. 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 Westleigh with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Westleigh. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1988
5 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
1988 SSA rank
#8,454
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Westleigh: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Westleigh 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 Westleigh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Westleigh
The name Westleigh is a relatively modern English name, believed to have originated in the late 19th or early 20th century. It is a combination of the words "west" and "leigh," with "leigh" being an Old English word meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest. The name can be interpreted to mean "western meadow" or "western clearing."
While the name itself is of recent origin, its components have roots that stretch back to the Anglo-Saxon era in England. The word "west" has its origins in the Proto-Germanic word "westra," which referred to the cardinal direction. The word "leigh" comes from the Old English "leah," which was commonly used in place names to denote a woodland clearing or meadow.
There are no known historical references to the name Westleigh in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records prior to the late 19th century. However, its components were used in various place names throughout England, reflecting the importance of meadows and clearings in the rural landscape.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Westleigh was Westleigh Vivian (1888-1964), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1918 to 1945. Another notable figure was Westleigh D. Jones (1909-1985), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1947 to 1949.
In the field of sports, Westleigh Coningsby (1929-2003) was an English cricketer who played for Worcestershire County Cricket Club in the 1950s. Westleigh Kamalski (born 1967) is a former professional basketball player from Canada who played in various international leagues.
Additionally, Westleigh Robins (1915-1998) was an Australian artist and art educator known for her landscape paintings and contributions to the art scene in Queensland.
It is worth noting that while the name Westleigh has gained some popularity in recent decades, it remains relatively uncommon compared to more traditional English names. Its unique blend of historical elements and modern sensibilities has made it a distinctive choice for parents seeking a name with a sense of geographic and natural imagery.
People
Westleigh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Westleigh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Westleigh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Westleigh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Westleigh 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Westleigh a common name?
We classify Westleigh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Westleigh most popular?
The single biggest year for Westleigh was 1988, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Westleigh is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Westleigh in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Westleigh a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Westleigh 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 Westleigh still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Westleigh 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 Westleigh 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Westleigh?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.