Lesley is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Lesley means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Lesley across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Lesley has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Lesley is a girl name of Scottish (Gaelic) origin meaning “garden of holly or gray fort”. A variant of Leslie, from a Scottish place name.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 39,098 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 306 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 3,797 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 8 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 873 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 1,453 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 Lesley per year, United States (1882 to 2025). United States peaked in 1980 (981/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1974 (341/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1981 (54/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (35/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1999 (5/yr).
Lesley has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1980, when it ranked #498 nationally (given to 1,262 babies that year).
Leslie · Lesly · Leslee · Liesl · Lezlie · Lesli · Leslye · Lezlee
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 →