Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1969

Leigh

Meaning wood, meadow Gender Unisex · 89% girls Rank 2025 #4,504 Trend ↓ Falling 17%

From the nominative case of Old English lēah (“wood, meadow”), 'dweller by the wood or clearing'.

Rank 2025
#4,504
among girls · ↓1,068 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
31
named Leigh · -33% vs 2024
How common
1 in 51,847
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1969
1,641 babies
All-time total
45,349
#685 all-time among girls
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Leigh popularity over time

45,349 babies have been named Leigh since 1882, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 – 33 33 3 – –
1890s – 50 50 5 +52% –
1900s – 16 16 2 -68% –
1910s 49 221 270 27 +1587% #2,059
1920s 101 371 472 47 +75% #2,642
1930s 127 410 537 54 +14% #1,680
1940s 791 799 1,590 159 +196% #652
1950s 4,081 943 5,024 502 +216% #354
1960s 10,705 768 11,473 1,147 +128% #201
1970s 11,411 600 12,011 1,201 +5% #206
1980s 8,457 591 9,048 905 -25% #218
1990s 2,986 171 3,157 316 -65% #468
2000s 768 69 837 84 -73% #1,499
2010s 513 43 556 56 -34% #2,723
2020s (to 2025) 253 22 275 46 -18% #2,979

Where Leigh is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 30 0.02 outside top 500
2027 29 0.02 outside top 500
2028 29 0.02 outside top 500
2029 28 0.02 outside top 500
2030 28 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Leigh

Leigh is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,504 in 2025 with 31 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 45,349 American babies have been named Leigh, about 89% girls and 11% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1969, when 1,641 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Leigh stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Leigh?

The median living Leigh is about 52 years old; half are between 42 and 60. An estimated 41 thousand people named Leigh are alive in the United States today.

median 52 020406080100

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

Leigh 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 31 #4,504 – –
2024 46 #3,436 – –
2023 38 #3,953 5 #13,375
2022 56 #2,979 8 #9,498
2021 44 #3,527 – –
2020 38 #3,814 9 #8,467
2019 59 #2,841 – –
2018 46 #3,424 8 #9,311
2017 59 #2,861 – –
2016 64 #2,723 6 #11,588
2015 47 #3,416 7 #10,198
2014 56 #3,033 8 #9,285
2013 49 #3,296 – –
2012 39 #3,962 6 #11,674
2011 44 #3,582 – –
2010 50 #3,285 8 #9,331
2009 61 #2,873 5 #13,673
2008 57 #3,044 5 #13,764
2007 45 #3,634 7 #10,442
2006 63 #2,799 – –
2005 63 #2,694 6 #10,930
2004 74 #2,334 7 #9,543
2003 83 #2,115 6 #10,342
2002 83 #2,071 8 #8,142
2001 116 #1,599 11 #6,272
2000 123 #1,499 14 #5,210
1995 230 #852 16 #3,980
1990 523 #468 28 #2,467
1985 773 #312 58 #1,265
1980 1,176 #218 63 #1,151
1975 1,064 #228 57 #1,122
1970 1,483 #213 87 #864
1965 868 #308 60 #950
1960 770 #345 80 #847
1955 460 #412 126 #655
1950 166 #662 80 #769
1945 74 #876 78 #688
1940 28 #1,453 65 #769
1935 9 #3,051 45 #948
1930 13 #2,490 35 #1,207
1925 9 #3,527 37 #1,176
1920 9 #3,479 33 #1,266
1915 6 #4,037 31 #1,174
1910 – – 6 #1,516
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – 8 #838
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 7 #808
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Leigh

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

  1. 1 Leigh Nash Leigh Nash American singer (born 1976) Contemporary
  2. 2 Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell Australian filmmaker and actor (born 1977) Contemporary
  3. 3 Leigh Francis Leigh Francis English actor and comedian (born 1973) Contemporary
  4. 4 Leigh Brackett Leigh Brackett American novelist and screenwriter (1915–1978) Contemporary
  5. 5 Leigh Hunt Leigh Hunt English critic, essayist and poet (1784–1859) 18th century
  6. 6 Leigh Howard Leigh Howard Australian racing cyclist (born 1989) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Leigh?

The median living Leigh is about 52 years old. Half of all living Leighs are between 42 and 60 years old.

How many people named Leigh are alive today?

An estimated 41 thousand people named Leigh are alive in the United States, based on 45,349 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Leigh mean?

From the nominative case of Old English lēah (“wood, meadow”), 'dweller by the wood or clearing'.

How popular is the name Leigh in 2025?

Leigh ranked #4,504 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 31 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Leigh?

45,349 babies have been named Leigh in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Leigh most popular?

Leigh peaked in 1969, when 1,641 newborns received the name.

Is Leigh a boy or girl name?

Leigh is used for both: about 89% of babies named Leigh have been girls and 11% boys.

Is the name Leigh rising or falling?

Leigh is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Leigh become more popular?

Leigh is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 28 girls named Leigh 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 Leigh?

Well-known people named Leigh include Leigh Nash (singer), Leigh Whannell (film director), Leigh Francis (actor).

Names like Leigh

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

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