The first name Les
A boy’s name.
1 syllable Male
Meaning and origin
A diminutive of the female given name Leslie.
Les is a short form of
.From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Les last appeared in the official list in 1996, given to 3 boys.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Les with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Les at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 11 boys born in the United States were named Les, the 7,472nd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1961, when 182 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Les
22 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Les PaulAmerican jazz guitarist, country guitarist, songwriter and inventor (1915–2009)
- Les FerdinandEnglish association football player (born 1966)
- Les AspinAmerican politician (1938-1995)
- Les MurrayAustralian poet and critic (1938-2019)
- Les BlankAmerican documentary filmmaker, 1935–2013
- Les McCannAmerican jazz pianist and vocalist (1935–2023)
- Les MayfieldAmerican film director (born 1959)
- Les AllenEnglish footballer and manager (born 1937)
- Les TremayneBritish actor (1913–2003)
- Leslie ChristidisAustralian ornithologist, born 1959
- Les TomlinsonAustralian Roman-Catholic bishop, born 1943
- Les AmesCricket player of England. (1905-1990)
Questions
- How popular is the name Les?
- In 1996, 3 boys born in England and Wales were named Les, ranking 2,863rd.
- Is Les a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 99% of the 3,480 US babies named Les since 1880 were boys.
- When was Les most popular?
- 1961 in the United States, when 182 babies were named Les, its highest rank at 587th.