boys' name ★ peaked 2022

Leif

Meaning Leif is a male given name of Scandinavian origin Gender Boy Rank 2025 #917 Trend ↑ Rising 24%

Leif is a male given name of Scandinavian origin.

Rank 2025
#917
among boys · ↑11 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
257
named Leif · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,646
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
290 babies
All-time total
10,002
#1,204 all-time among boys
First recorded
1912
in Social Security records

Leif popularity over time

10,002 babies have been named Leif since 1912, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 127 127 13 – #1,535
1920s – 126 126 13 -1% #2,035
1930s – 111 111 11 -12% #1,560
1940s – 196 196 20 +77% #1,155
1950s – 442 442 44 +126% #989
1960s – 886 886 89 +100% #681
1970s – 1,158 1,158 116 +31% #638
1980s 5 1,231 1,236 124 +7% #664
1990s – 878 878 88 -29% #1,115
2000s – 1,329 1,329 133 +51% #1,068
2010s – 1,971 1,971 197 +48% #957
2020s (to 2025) – 1,542 1,542 257 +30% #841

Where Leif is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 267 0.16 outside top 500
2027 276 0.16 outside top 500
2028 284 0.17 outside top 500
2029 291 0.17 outside top 500
2030 297 0.17 outside top 500

Where Leif is most popular

Boys named Leif per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.150 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, Utah, and Minnesota.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Leif born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Montana 27 1.53 +920%
Utah 56 0.587 +291%
Minnesota 58 0.473 +215%
Washington 66 0.403 +169%
Oregon 29 0.382 +154%
Colorado 46 0.356 +137%
North Dakota 5 0.293 +95%
Idaho 11 0.269 +79%
Wisconsin 28 0.236 +57%
Tennessee 38 0.211 +40%
Michigan 40 0.195 +30%
Pennsylvania 49 0.185 +23%
South Carolina 19 0.184 +22%
Missouri 25 0.180 +20%
Arizona 29 0.177 +18%
North Carolina 41 0.161 +7%
Florida 69 0.146 ≈ national
Oklahoma 12 0.136 -10%
Virginia 24 0.126 -16%
Texas 94 0.107 -29%
Indiana 17 0.106 -29%
New York 45 0.104 -31%
California 93 0.102 -32%
Ohio 23 0.087 -42%
Massachusetts 11 0.080 -47%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -47%
Kansas 5 0.073 -51%
Georgia 17 0.067 -55%
Illinois 16 0.063 -58%
Maryland 5 0.042 -72%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -83%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Leif

Leif is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #917 in 2025 with 257 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1912, 10,002 American babies have been named Leif. Its peak came in 2022, when 290 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Leif stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Leif?

The median living Leif is about 23 years old; half are between 9 and 45. An estimated 9,100 people named Leif are alive in the United States today.

median 23 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Leif year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 257 #917
2024 – – 250 #928
2023 – – 279 #860
2022 – – 290 #841
2021 – – 221 #995
2020 – – 245 #914
2019 – – 205 #1,015
2018 – – 207 #1,003
2017 – – 218 #957
2016 – – 214 #966
2015 – – 187 #1,063
2014 – – 205 #1,007
2013 – – 195 #1,007
2012 – – 179 #1,063
2011 – – 185 #1,029
2010 – – 176 #1,093
2009 – – 175 #1,068
2008 – – 140 #1,247
2007 – – 128 #1,329
2006 – – 135 #1,245
2005 – – 152 #1,087
2004 – – 114 #1,307
2003 – – 138 #1,116
2002 – – 101 #1,322
2001 – – 120 #1,155
2000 – – 126 #1,118
1995 – – 81 #1,309
1990 – – 87 #1,169
1985 – – 110 #864
1980 – – 169 #664
1975 – – 109 #799
1970 – – 157 #654
1965 – – 83 #810
1960 – – 78 #864
1955 – – 44 #1,126
1950 – – 40 #1,135
1945 – – 17 #1,668
1940 – – 16 #1,770
1935 – – 7 #3,129
1930 – – 10 #2,706
1925 – – 15 #2,138
1920 – – 6 #4,072
1915 – – 21 #1,535
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Leif

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Leif Erikson Leif Erikson Norse explorer (c. 970–c. 1020) Medieval
  2. 2 Leif Erickson Leif Erickson American actor (1911–1986) Contemporary
  3. 3 Leif Ove Andsnes Leif Ove Andsnes Norwegian pianist (born 1970) Contemporary
  4. 4 Leif Segerstam Leif Segerstam Finnish conductor and composer (1944–2024) Contemporary
  5. 5 Leif Mortensen Leif Mortensen Danish cyclist (born 1946) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Leif, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Leif?

The median living Leif is about 23 years old. Half of all living Leifs are between 9 and 45 years old.

How many people named Leif are alive today?

An estimated 9,100 people named Leif are alive in the United States, based on 10,002 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Leif mean?

Leif is a male given name of Scandinavian origin.

How popular is the name Leif in 2025?

Leif ranked #917 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 257 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Leif?

10,002 babies have been named Leif in the United States since 1912, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Leif most popular?

Leif peaked in 2022, when 290 newborns received the name.

Is Leif a boy or girl name?

Leif is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Leif rising or falling?

Leif is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Leif become more popular?

Leif is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 297 boys named Leif in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Leif?

Well-known people named Leif include Leif Erikson (explorer), Leif Erickson (actor), Leif Ove Andsnes (musician).

Names like Leif

Names that sound and feel close to Leif: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Leif with similar names → More names starting with L →