boys' name ★ peaked 1924

Leroy

Meaning the king Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #888 Trend ↑ Rising 19%

Transferred from the common French surname Leroy, meaning "the king".

Rank 2025
#888
among boys · ↓24 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
269
named Leroy · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,350
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1924
3,948 babies
All-time total
202,163
#184 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Leroy popularity over time

202,163 babies have been named Leroy 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
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 1,574 1,574 157 – #88
1890s – 2,544 2,544 254 +62% #66
1900s 5 4,300 4,305 431 +69% #50
1910s 113 21,275 21,388 2,139 +397% #50
1920s 243 37,871 38,114 3,811 +78% #51
1930s 224 36,255 36,479 3,648 -4% #50
1940s 185 33,864 34,049 3,405 -7% #66
1950s 186 24,588 24,774 2,477 -27% #102
1960s 110 15,220 15,330 1,533 -38% #171
1970s 61 8,408 8,469 847 -45% #215
1980s 50 5,600 5,650 565 -33% #293
1990s 5 3,554 3,559 356 -37% #440
2000s – 2,159 2,159 216 -39% #698
2010s – 2,173 2,173 217 +1% #875
2020s (to 2025) – 1,596 1,596 266 +22% #860

Where Leroy 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 276 0.16 outside top 500
2027 283 0.17 outside top 500
2028 289 0.17 outside top 500
2029 293 0.17 outside top 500
2030 298 0.17 outside top 500

Where Leroy is most popular

Boys named Leroy per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.157 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, Wisconsin, 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 Leroy 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 13 0.737 +370%
Wisconsin 71 0.599 +282%
Minnesota 72 0.587 +274%
Iowa 39 0.566 +261%
Pennsylvania 112 0.422 +169%
Missouri 50 0.361 +130%
Oregon 24 0.316 +102%
Ohio 78 0.294 +88%
Michigan 60 0.293 +87%
Idaho 11 0.269 +71%
Utah 22 0.230 +47%
Washington 35 0.214 +36%
Indiana 34 0.212 +35%
Kansas 12 0.175 +12%
New Mexico 5 0.152 ≈ national
Nebraska 6 0.138 -12%
Florida 54 0.114 -27%
Colorado 14 0.108 -31%
California 98 0.107 -32%
New York 46 0.106 -32%
Texas 92 0.104 -33%
Kentucky 10 0.100 -36%
Arizona 16 0.098 -38%
Tennessee 17 0.094 -40%
Illinois 24 0.094 -40%
Virginia 17 0.090 -43%
Nevada 5 0.088 -44%
Georgia 22 0.087 -45%
North Carolina 22 0.086 -45%
Massachusetts 10 0.073 -54%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -64%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -69%
Maryland 5 0.042 -73%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
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 Leroy

Leroy is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #888 in 2025 with 269 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 202,163 American babies have been named Leroy. Its peak came in 1924, when 3,948 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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

How old are people named Leroy?

The median living Leroy is about 67 years old; half are between 52 and 78. An estimated 77 thousand people named Leroy are alive in the United States today.

median 67 020406080100

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

Leroy 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 – – 269 #888
2024 – – 280 #864
2023 – – 270 #872
2022 – – 281 #860
2021 – – 254 #906
2020 – – 242 #923
2019 – – 225 #955
2018 – – 250 #875
2017 – – 227 #927
2016 – – 231 #922
2015 – – 209 #989
2014 – – 191 #1,047
2013 – – 206 #973
2012 – – 227 #915
2011 – – 187 #1,024
2010 – – 220 #919
2009 – – 201 #987
2008 – – 231 #902
2007 – – 195 #1,000
2006 – – 211 #913
2005 – – 188 #932
2004 – – 223 #809
2003 – – 225 #780
2002 – – 218 #793
2001 – – 215 #787
2000 – – 252 #698
1995 – – 341 #550
1990 – – 503 #440
1985 6 #10,040 539 #347
1980 10 #6,564 699 #293
1975 12 #5,017 798 #251
1970 7 #6,729 1,170 #215
1965 11 #4,085 1,538 #173
1960 18 #2,949 1,868 #172
1955 15 #3,045 2,416 #133
1950 27 #1,857 2,835 #102
1945 15 #2,295 3,170 #83
1940 19 #1,871 3,311 #66
1935 15 #2,159 3,919 #50
1930 39 #1,204 3,802 #53
1925 29 #1,556 3,884 #52
1920 22 #1,857 3,549 #56
1915 14 #2,193 2,450 #66
1910 – – 733 #50
1905 – – 441 #55
1900 – – 419 #65
1895 – – 249 #78
1890 – – 236 #74
1885 – – 162 #90
1880 – – 124 #108

Famous people named Leroy

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

  1. 1 Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson American composer (1908–1975) Contemporary
  2. 2 Leroy Lita Leroy Lita English footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  3. 3 Leroy Burrell Leroy Burrell American track and field athlete b. 1967 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Leroy Chiao Leroy Chiao American engineer, astronaut, entrepreneur, speaker and engineering consultant b. 1960 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Leroy Carr Leroy Carr American blues singer, songwriter and pianist (1904/5–1935) 1905–1935 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Leroy?

The median living Leroy is about 67 years old. Half of all living Leroys are between 52 and 78 years old.

How many people named Leroy are alive today?

An estimated 77 thousand people named Leroy are alive in the United States, based on 202,163 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Leroy mean?

Transferred from the common French surname Leroy, meaning "the king".

How popular is the name Leroy in 2025?

Leroy ranked #888 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 269 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Leroy?

202,163 babies have been named Leroy in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Leroy most popular?

Leroy peaked in 1924, when 3,948 newborns received the name.

Is Leroy a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Leroy rising or falling?

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

Will Leroy become more popular?

Leroy is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 298 boys named Leroy 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 Leroy?

Well-known people named Leroy include Leroy Anderson (composer), Leroy Lita (soccer player), Leroy Burrell (athlete).

Names like Leroy

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

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