Leighton is a unisex name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Leighton means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Leighton across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Leighton has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Leighton is a unisex name of Old English origin meaning “herb garden, leek town”. An English place name and surname, from leac and tun.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 21,823 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 5,238 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 432 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 65 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 319 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 Leighton per year, United States (1893 to 2025). United States peaked in 2022 (1,144/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2013 (394/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2014 (40/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2012 (34/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2015 (9/yr).
Leighton has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2022, when it ranked #592 nationally (given to 1,284 babies that year).
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