Leigh is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Leigh means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Leigh across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Leigh has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Leigh is a girl name of Old English origin meaning “meadow, clearing”. A variant spelling of Lee, from Old English leah.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 45,349 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,245 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 2,204 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 43 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 666 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Leigh per year, United States (1882 to 2025). United States peaked in 1969 (1,641/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (173/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1977 (139/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1991 (39/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2000 (11/yr).
Leigh has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1969, when it ranked #365 nationally (given to 1,644 babies that year).
Leah · Leia · Leigha · Liah · Laiyah
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →