girls' name ★ peaked 2023

Leni

Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #1,179 Trend ↑ Rising 114%
Rank 2025
#1,179
among girls · ↑67 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
197
named Leni · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,159
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2023
208 babies
All-time total
1,962
#4,804 all-time among girls
First recorded
1938
in Social Security records

Leni popularity over time

1,962 babies have been named Leni since 1938, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s 11 – 11 1 – #4,107
1940s 132 – 132 13 +1100% #2,347
1950s 89 – 89 9 -33% #3,026
1960s 62 – 62 6 -30% #3,538
1970s 40 – 40 4 -35% #6,625
1980s 35 – 35 4 -12% #8,658
1990s 7 – 7 1 -80% #10,955
2000s 117 5 122 12 +1643% #4,541
2010s 500 15 515 52 +322% #1,925
2020s (to 2025) 942 7 949 158 +207% #1,179

Where Leni 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 223 0.14 outside top 500
2027 247 0.15 outside top 500
2028 270 0.17 outside top 500
2029 291 0.18 outside top 500
2030 310 0.19 outside top 500

Where Leni is most popular

Girls named Leni per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.104 per 1,000. Strongest in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Leni 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
North Dakota 14 1.07 +925%
Minnesota 53 0.491 +373%
South Dakota 5 0.350 +237%
Wisconsin 28 0.272 +162%
Iowa 11 0.188 +81%
Colorado 18 0.161 +55%
New York 61 0.154 +48%
Illinois 34 0.149 +43%
Pennsylvania 33 0.140 +34%
Nebraska 5 0.139 +34%
Washington 19 0.132 +27%
Missouri 15 0.124 +20%
Massachusetts 15 0.124 +19%
North Carolina 28 0.123 +18%
Utah 10 0.120 +16%
Michigan 21 0.115 +11%
New Jersey 16 0.089 -15%
Ohio 21 0.089 -15%
California 70 0.083 -20%
Oregon 5 0.077 -26%
Florida 31 0.072 -30%
Maryland 7 0.066 -36%
Louisiana 5 0.057 -45%
Indiana 8 0.057 -45%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -46%
Georgia 11 0.048 -53%
Arizona 6 0.043 -59%
Texas 28 0.035 -66%
Virginia 5 0.029 -72%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Tennessee – – –
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 Leni

Leni is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,179 in 2025 with 197 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1938, 1,962 American babies have been named Leni. Its peak came in 2023, when 208 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 Leni stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Leni?

The median living Leni is about 5 years old; half are between 2 and 14. An estimated 1,900 people named Leni are alive in the United States today.

median 5 020406080100

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

Leni 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 197 #1,179 – –
2024 187 #1,246 – –
2023 201 #1,197 7 #10,343
2022 141 #1,530 – –
2021 117 #1,755 – –
2020 99 #1,940 – –
2019 103 #1,925 5 #13,326
2018 81 #2,263 – –
2017 55 #2,998 – –
2016 52 #3,166 – –
2015 40 #3,814 – –
2014 39 #3,888 – –
2013 32 #4,497 5 #13,275
2012 36 #4,183 – –
2011 34 #4,313 – –
2010 28 #5,044 5 #13,478
2009 33 #4,541 – –
2008 23 #6,053 – –
2007 18 #7,279 5 #13,588
2006 26 #5,316 – –
2005 11 #9,847 – –
2004 6 #15,255 – –
2003 – – – –
2002 – – – –
2001 – – – –
2000 – – – –
1995 – – – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 7 #8,658 – –
1975 7 #7,597 – –
1970 – – – –
1965 5 #7,077 – –
1960 7 #5,456 – –
1955 12 #3,477 – –
1950 11 #3,335 – –
1945 11 #2,845 – –
1940 8 #3,374 – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Leni

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

  1. 1 Leni Riefenstahl Leni Riefenstahl German filmmaker (1902–2003) Contemporary
  2. 2 Leni Robredo Leni Robredo Vice President of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022 b. 1965 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Leni?

The median living Leni is about 5 years old. Half of all living Lenis are between 2 and 14 years old.

How many people named Leni are alive today?

An estimated 1,900 people named Leni are alive in the United States, based on 1,962 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Leni in 2025?

Leni ranked #1,179 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 197 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Leni?

1,962 babies have been named Leni in the United States since 1938, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Leni most popular?

Leni peaked in 2023, when 208 newborns received the name.

Is Leni a boy or girl name?

Leni is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Leni rising or falling?

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

Will Leni become more popular?

Leni is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 310 girls named Leni 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 Leni?

Well-known people named Leni include Leni Riefenstahl (film director), Leni Robredo (politician).

Names like Leni

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

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