# Leigh (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/leigh/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys and girls |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “wood”, “meadow” |
| Pronunciation | /liː/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Lee |
| US babies named this | 45,349 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 5,107 / 40,242 (89% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,248, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From the nominative case of Old English lēah (“wood, meadow”), 'dweller by the wood or clearing'.

## What it means

Leigh is grouped under forest.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 44 | 3,582 |
| 2012 | 39 | 3,962 |
| 2013 | 49 | 3,296 |
| 2014 | 56 | 3,033 |
| 2015 | 47 | 3,416 |
| 2016 | 64 | 2,723 |
| 2017 | 59 | 2,861 |
| 2018 | 46 | 3,424 |
| 2019 | 59 | 2,841 |
| 2020 | 38 | 3,814 |
| 2021 | 44 | 3,527 |
| 2022 | 56 | 2,979 |
| 2023 | 38 | 3,953 |
| 2024 | 46 | 3,436 |
| 2025 | 31 | 4,504 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 6 | 10,342 |
| 2004 | 7 | 9,543 |
| 2005 | 6 | 10,930 |
| 2007 | 7 | 10,442 |
| 2008 | 5 | 13,764 |
| 2009 | 5 | 13,673 |
| 2010 | 8 | 9,331 |
| 2012 | 6 | 11,674 |
| 2014 | 8 | 9,285 |
| 2015 | 7 | 10,198 |
| 2016 | 6 | 11,588 |
| 2018 | 8 | 9,311 |
| 2020 | 9 | 8,467 |
| 2022 | 8 | 9,498 |
| 2023 | 5 | 13,375 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 23 | 1,196 |
| 2008 | 26 | 1,135 |
| 2009 | 14 | 1,837 |
| 2010 | 10 | 2,392 |
| 2011 | 14 | 1,903 |
| 2012 | 6 | 3,681 |
| 2013 | 7 | 3,160 |
| 2014 | 7 | 3,160 |
| 2015 | 3 | 5,730 |
| 2016 | 5 | 4,096 |
| 2017 | 3 | 5,765 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4,684 |
| 2019 | 5 | 4,001 |
| 2020 | 5 | 3,899 |
| 2021 | 3 | 5,581 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 13 | 1,456 |
| 2006 | 19 | 1,127 |
| 2007 | 7 | 2,435 |
| 2008 | 10 | 1,953 |
| 2009 | 9 | 2,126 |
| 2010 | 8 | 2,400 |
| 2011 | 12 | 1,788 |
| 2012 | 11 | 1,962 |
| 2013 | 5 | 3,315 |
| 2014 | 8 | 2,459 |
| 2015 | 4 | 3,908 |
| 2016 | 5 | 3,478 |
| 2017 | 3 | 4,812 |
| 2023 | 3 | 4,991 |
| 2024 | 3 | 5,119 |

## People named Leigh

- Rachael Leigh Cook, American actress and model
- Leigh Brackett, American novelist and screenwriter (1915–1978)
- Leigh-Allyn Baker, American actress
- Leigh Whannell, Australian filmmaker and actor
- Leigh Francis, British actor and host
- Trafford Leigh-Mallory, British military officer during World Wars I and II (1892–1944)
- Leigh Taylor-Young, American actress
- Leigh Harline, American film composer and songwriter (1907–1969)
- Leigh Nash, American singer
- Leigh Hoffman, Australian track cyclist
- Leigh Van Valen, American biologist (1935–2010)
- Leigh McCloskey, American actor, artist and writer

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.