boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Lev

Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #1,001 Trend ↑ Rising 17%

A transliteration of the Russian or Ukrainian male given name Лев (Lev).

Rank 2025
#1,001
among boys · ↑35 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
236
named Lev · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,525
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
236 babies
All-time total
3,083
#2,538 all-time among boys
First recorded
1971
in Social Security records

Lev popularity over time

3,083 babies have been named Lev since 1971, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – 40 40 4 – #3,884
1980s – 37 37 4 -7% #4,116
1990s – 112 112 11 +203% #4,308
2000s – 317 317 32 +183% #2,275
2010s 33 1,254 1,287 129 +306% #1,005
2020s (to 2025) 51 1,239 1,290 215 +67% #1,001

Where Lev 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 233 0.14 outside top 500
2027 239 0.14 outside top 500
2028 243 0.14 outside top 500
2029 247 0.14 outside top 500
2030 251 0.15 outside top 500

Where Lev is most popular

Boys named Lev per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.123 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, New York, and Massachusetts.

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 Lev 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
District of Columbia 7 0.474 +286%
New York 161 0.372 +203%
Massachusetts 35 0.255 +107%
Florida 120 0.253 +106%
California 227 0.248 +102%
Washington 39 0.238 +94%
New Jersey 37 0.184 +50%
Pennsylvania 42 0.158 +29%
Illinois 32 0.125 ≈ national
Colorado 16 0.124 ≈ national
Minnesota 15 0.122 ≈ national
Virginia 12 0.063 -49%
Maryland 7 0.059 -52%
Georgia 11 0.043 -65%
Texas 37 0.042 -66%
Ohio 10 0.038 -69%
North Carolina 8 0.031 -74%
Michigan 6 0.029 -76%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -77%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Lev

Lev is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,001 in 2025 with 227 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1971, 3,083 American babies have been named Lev. Its peak came in 2025, when 236 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 Lev stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lev?

The median living Lev is about 7 years old; half are between 3 and 12. An estimated 3,100 people named Lev are alive in the United States today.

median 7 020406080100

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

Lev 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 9 #10,555 227 #1,001
2024 9 #10,741 215 #1,036
2023 7 #12,894 197 #1,093
2022 8 #11,800 219 #1,018
2021 7 #12,946 203 #1,055
2020 11 #9,279 178 #1,109
2019 8 #11,968 208 #1,005
2018 6 #14,890 184 #1,078
2017 6 #15,161 140 #1,298
2016 – – 156 #1,214
2015 – – 138 #1,295
2014 7 #13,948 110 #1,481
2013 – – 98 #1,583
2012 – – 76 #1,903
2011 – – 75 #1,882
2010 6 #16,129 69 #1,993
2009 – – 58 #2,275
2008 – – 47 #2,660
2007 – – 42 #2,849
2006 – – 42 #2,774
2005 – – 23 #4,003
2004 – – 21 #4,203
2003 – – 35 #2,824
2002 – – 13 #5,602
2001 – – 11 #6,273
2000 – – 25 #3,385
1995 – – 10 #5,752
1990 – – 7 #6,878
1985 – – 8 #4,978
1980 – – 5 #6,853
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Lev

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

  1. 1 Lev Yashin Lev Yashin Soviet footballer (1929–1990) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lev Kamenev Lev Kamenev Russian revolutionary and Soviet politician (1883–1936) 19th century
  3. 3 Lev Vygotsky Lev Vygotsky Soviet psychologist (1896–1934) 19th century
  4. 4 Lev Landau Lev Landau Soviet theoretical physicist (1908–1968) Contemporary
  5. 5 Lev Shestov Lev Shestov Russian existentialist philosopher (1866–1938) 19th century
  6. 6 Lev Mekhlis Lev Mekhlis Soviet politician and military officer 1889–1953 · 19th century
  7. 7 Lev Leshchenko Lev Leshchenko Russian singer (born 1942) Contemporary
  8. 8 Lev Pontryagin Lev Pontryagin Soviet mathematician (1908–1988) Contemporary
  9. 9 Lev Kuleshov Lev Kuleshov Soviet filmmaker and film theorist 1899–1970 · 19th century
  10. 10 Lev Karakhan Lev Karakhan Soviet diplomat (1889–1937) 19th century
  11. 11 Lev Kopelev Lev Kopelev Soviet author and dissident 1912–1997 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Lev Polugaevsky Lev Polugaevsky Soviet chess grandmaster (1934–1995) Contemporary
  13. 13 Lev Knipper Soviet Russian composer (1898–1974) 19th century
  14. 14 Lev Oborin Lev Oborin Soviet pianist (1907–1974) Contemporary
  15. 15 Lev Rudnev Lev Rudnev Soviet architect 1885–1956 · 19th century
  16. 16 Lev Ivanov Lev Ivanov Russian ballet dancer and choreographer 1834–1901 · 19th century
  17. 17 Lev Artsimovich Lev Artsimovich Soviet physicist (1909–1973) Contemporary
  18. 18 Lev Gumilyov Lev Gumilyov Soviet historian, ethnologist, and anthropologist (1912–1992) Contemporary
  19. 19 Lev Alburt Lev Alburt American chess grandmaster (born 1945) Contemporary
  20. 20 Lev Chernyi Lev Chernyi Russian individualist anarchist (1878–1921) 1890–1921 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lev?

The median living Lev is about 7 years old. Half of all living Levs are between 3 and 12 years old.

How many people named Lev are alive today?

An estimated 3,100 people named Lev are alive in the United States, based on 3,083 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lev mean?

A transliteration of the Russian or Ukrainian male given name Лев (Lev).

How popular is the name Lev in 2025?

Lev ranked #1,001 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 227 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lev?

3,083 babies have been named Lev in the United States since 1971, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lev most popular?

Lev peaked in 2025, when 236 newborns received the name.

Is Lev a boy or girl name?

Lev is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lev rising or falling?

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

Will Lev become more popular?

Lev is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 251 boys named Lev 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 Lev?

Well-known people named Lev include Lev Yashin (soccer player), Lev Kamenev (politician), Lev Vygotsky (psychologist).

Names like Lev

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

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