Given name & surname
Lesley
“garden of hollies”
Lesley began as a spelling of Leslie and developed a particular history in feminine use.
Meaning & origin
How it developed
From Scottish Gaelic lios cuileann (“garden of hollies”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
An early recorded use of Lesley for a woman appears in a poem by Robert Burns. In Britain, this spelling later became especially associated with feminine use, though that convention is specific to its naming context.
Lesley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 39,098
- 4,797 boys · 34,301 girls
- Most popular year
- 1980
- 981 babies
- 2025
- 30
- #4,617 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −38%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 2% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 30 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,617 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 36.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 928 in 1980. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 34,454 as a first name in 2020; 2,733 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lesley’s family of names
Lesley has a related form in Leslie. In English usage, Lesley has a related form in Leslie.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Lesley
- TwiggyBritish model, actress and singerborn 1949
- Lesley ManvilleBritish actress (born 1956)
- Lesley GoreAmerican singer (1946–2015)
- Lesley Ann WarrenAmerican actressborn 1946
- Lesley RoyIrish singerborn 1986
- Lesley LokkoGhanaian architect and writerborn 1964
- Lesley Turner BowreyAustralian tennis playerborn 1942
- Lesley NicolEnglish actressborn 1953
- Lesley StahlAmerican journalistborn 1941
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lesley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ashley
“ash” · “wood”
1% boys · 99% girls
Darcy
“having dark features”
6% boys · 94% girls
Lindsay
Lindsay is used as a given name, a surname, and a nickname. One English interpretation is “from the island of linden trees; from Lincoln's wetland.”
1% boys · 99% girls
Heeney
“God is gracious”
—
Rebecca
“enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”
>99% girls
Lani
“from the sky; one who is heavenly” · “a servant”
1% boys · 99% girls
Alison
“the son of a noble”
>99% girls
Kelly
“a lively and bright-headed woman”
21% boys · 79% girls