boys' name ★ peaked 2007

Leland

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #494 Trend ↓ Falling 16%

Shortened from McLeland, McClellan, from Irish Mac Giolla Fhaoláin, "son of servant of (Saint) Faolán (=Little Wolf)".

Rank 2025
#494
among boys · ↑49 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
626
named Leland · +11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,791
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2007
1,035 babies
All-time total
58,556
#458 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Leland popularity over time

58,556 babies have been named Leland since 1880, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 6 202 208 21 – #292
1890s 5 539 544 54 +162% #211
1900s 11 765 776 78 +43% #184
1910s 49 4,381 4,430 443 +471% #185
1920s 63 8,022 8,085 809 +83% #171
1930s 42 6,277 6,319 632 -22% #189
1940s 19 6,261 6,280 628 -1% #210
1950s 11 5,256 5,267 527 -16% #279
1960s 22 3,528 3,550 355 -33% #383
1970s 11 2,284 2,295 230 -35% #496
1980s 12 2,103 2,115 212 -8% #587
1990s 21 1,884 1,905 191 -10% #610
2000s 82 4,540 4,622 462 +143% #315
2010s 99 8,266 8,365 837 +81% #325
2020s (to 2025) 104 3,691 3,795 633 -24% #431

Where Leland 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 595 0.35 outside top 500
2027 581 0.34 outside top 500
2028 569 0.33 outside top 500
2029 560 0.33 outside top 500
2030 551 0.32 outside top 500

Where Leland is most popular

Boys named Leland per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.354 per 1,000. Strongest in Michigan, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

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 Leland 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
Michigan 239 1.17 +230%
West Virginia 37 1.13 +220%
Kentucky 79 0.787 +122%
Idaho 32 0.782 +121%
Wisconsin 89 0.751 +112%
Indiana 119 0.742 +110%
Oregon 55 0.725 +105%
South Carolina 68 0.658 +86%
Mississippi 36 0.634 +79%
Missouri 87 0.628 +77%
Ohio 164 0.619 +75%
Alaska 7 0.588 +66%
Iowa 40 0.580 +64%
Minnesota 70 0.571 +61%
Tennessee 102 0.565 +60%
Utah 52 0.545 +54%
Kansas 35 0.510 +44%
Georgia 129 0.509 +44%
North Carolina 128 0.501 +42%
Virginia 92 0.485 +37%
Oklahoma 41 0.464 +31%
Alabama 50 0.457 +29%
Colorado 56 0.434 +23%
Louisiana 41 0.401 +13%
Delaware 6 0.396 +12%
Nebraska 17 0.391 +10%
Pennsylvania 103 0.388 +10%
Washington 62 0.379 +7%
Maine 7 0.361 ≈ national
New Hampshire 8 0.360 ≈ national
Illinois 90 0.352 ≈ national
Arizona 57 0.348 ≈ national
South Dakota 6 0.322 -9%
Arkansas 20 0.316 -11%
Montana 5 0.284 -20%
Massachusetts 36 0.262 -26%
Maryland 30 0.252 -29%
Florida 112 0.237 -33%
Connecticut 15 0.222 -37%
California 199 0.218 -38%
New Mexico 7 0.212 -40%
Texas 181 0.205 -42%
New York 86 0.199 -44%
Nevada 11 0.193 -45%
New Jersey 19 0.094 -73%
District of Columbia – – –
Hawaii – – –
North Dakota – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Leland

Leland is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #494 in 2025 with 612 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 58,556 American babies have been named Leland. Its peak came in 2007, when 1,035 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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

How old are people named Leland?

The median living Leland is about 27 years old; half are between 11 and 64. An estimated 34 thousand people named Leland are alive in the United States today.

median 27 020406080100

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

Leland 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 14 #7,710 612 #494
2024 18 #6,547 546 #543
2023 16 #7,116 568 #520
2022 21 #5,887 609 #500
2021 18 #6,560 721 #431
2020 17 #6,802 635 #470
2019 13 #8,407 743 #415
2018 11 #9,538 747 #420
2017 11 #9,670 817 #389
2016 13 #8,678 758 #417
2015 11 #9,870 857 #378
2014 10 #10,596 759 #409
2013 7 #14,024 774 #386
2012 8 #12,901 897 #343
2011 8 #12,862 950 #329
2010 7 #14,338 964 #325
2009 10 #11,137 895 #350
2008 5 #19,258 726 #405
2007 6 #16,695 1,029 #315
2006 16 #7,699 903 #343
2005 9 #11,443 371 #608
2004 10 #10,362 110 #1,341
2003 7 #13,246 129 #1,165
2002 7 #13,017 134 #1,096
2001 7 #12,854 107 #1,250
2000 5 #16,481 136 #1,057
1995 6 #12,659 175 #808
1990 5 #14,239 272 #610
1985 – – 166 #689
1980 – – 209 #601
1975 5 #9,873 203 #566
1970 – – 268 #496
1965 – – 358 #413
1960 5 #6,886 409 #390
1955 5 #6,315 564 #306
1950 – – 559 #281
1945 – – 540 #247
1940 – – 608 #210
1935 6 #4,008 623 #201
1930 10 #2,961 706 #198
1925 – – 858 #173
1920 7 #4,206 799 #177
1915 7 #3,628 597 #185
1910 – – 97 #242
1905 6 #1,817 66 #240
1900 – – 76 #228
1895 – – 54 #244
1890 – – 45 #252
1885 – – 23 #373
1880 – – 9 #664

Famous people named Leland

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

  1. 1 Leland Orser Leland Orser American actor (b. 1960) Contemporary
  2. 2 Leland Stanford Leland Stanford Governor of California from 1862 to 1863 1824–1893 · 19th century
  3. 3 Leland D. Melvin Leland D. Melvin American engineer and former astronaut b. 1964 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Leland H. Hartwell American biologist (born 1939) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Leland?

The median living Leland is about 27 years old. Half of all living Lelands are between 11 and 64 years old.

How many people named Leland are alive today?

An estimated 34 thousand people named Leland are alive in the United States, based on 58,556 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Leland mean?

Shortened from McLeland, McClellan, from Irish Mac Giolla Fhaoláin, "son of servant of (Saint) Faolán (=Little Wolf)".

How popular is the name Leland in 2025?

Leland ranked #494 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 612 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Leland?

58,556 babies have been named Leland in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Leland most popular?

Leland peaked in 2007, when 1,035 newborns received the name.

Is Leland a boy or girl name?

Leland is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Leland rising or falling?

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

Will Leland become more popular?

Leland is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 551 boys named Leland 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 Leland?

Well-known people named Leland include Leland Orser (actor), Leland Stanford (politician), Leland D. Melvin (astronaut).

Names like Leland

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

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