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Lesley as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Lesley

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The baby name Lesley is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈlɛzli/ (LEZ-lee) or /ˈlɛsli/ (LESS-lee).

Lesley is Scottish in Origin.

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Scottish
Pronunciation: /ˈlɛzli/ (LEZ-lee) or /ˈlɛsli/ (LESS-lee)

What is the meaning of the name Lesley ?

The baby name Lesley is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈlɛzli/ (LEZ-lee) or /ˈlɛsli/ (LESS-lee).

Lesley is Scottish in Origin.

Lesley is a Scottish surname-turned-given name drawn from the Aberdeenshire place name Leslie, seat of Clan Leslie. Its meaning is commonly rendered as “holly garden” or “enclosure by the holly,” deriving from Scottish Gaelic lios (“garden, enclosure”) plus a second element thought to reference holly; the precise etymology of the second element is debated, but the holly sense dominates traditional interpretations.

As a given name, Lesley gained currency across the English-speaking world in the 19th century, with notable mid-20th-century popularity. Usage is unisex: in Britain, Lesley is typically the feminine spelling and Leslie the masculine, while in North America Leslie is the more frequent form for girls and Lesley serves as an alternate. Variant spellings include Leslie, Leslee, Lesli, Lesly, and Lesleigh; short forms include Les. The name retains a cool, understated Scottish polish.

Lesley has the following similar or variant Names

Lesley – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2002 #1 — 699
Ireland Boys 1982 #1 — 339
NA 0 #26 8 2,537
MT 0 #43 1 1,767
MO 0 #51 2 2,706
CM 0 #55 2 2,592
CY 0 #58 3 1,632
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
TW 0 #90 11 4,523
CY Girls 0 #99 23 3,755
PH 0 #106 5 5,607
QA 0 #106 1 7,011
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
BW Boys 0 #116 34 4,685
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
CY Boys 0 #131 1 3,473
GR 0 #133 3 3,911
Switzerland Girls 2024 #134 2 1,786
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
NA Boys 0 #141 97 6,830
MT Girls 0 #148 6 3,773
BW Girls 0 #149 3 4,216
CR 0 #164 2 5,526
PR Girls 0 #166 2 3,171
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
Sweden Girls 2020 #179 2 1,663
AE 0 #180 8 10,220
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
LU Girls 0 #183 8 4,850
DK 0 #205 2 5,198
ZA 0 #213 240 14,421
NA Girls 0 #215 10 7,146
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
HU Girls 0 #224 2 3,308
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
TW Girls 0 #229 48 8,139
BG Girls 0 #230 2 3,559
GR Girls 0 #233 10 6,293
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
MO Girls 0 #240 12 7,056
GH 0 #244 5 5,396
JP Girls 0 #250 2 6,592
SG 0 #251 19 11,010
TW Boys 0 #255 2 7,111
NG 0 #270 3 5,926
ZA Boys 0 #271 2,249 25,619
Canada Girls 2022 #274 7 2,867
JM Girls 0 #275 4 7,507
IL 0 #279 4 6,291
CN Girls 0 #280 70 8,829
JM Boys 0 #291 3 6,876
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
QA Girls 0 #301 16 15,378
Canada Boys 1991 #303 5 1,696
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
SA 0 #310 3 10,560
MY 0 #315 16 12,352
HK 0 #318 31 8,483
DK Girls 0 #325 5 7,429
CN Boys 0 #327 5 9,639
GH Boys 0 #327 19 8,138
PE 0 #328 2 6,350
GH Girls 0 #329 9 6,973
DK Boys 0 #331 2 7,401
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
NL 0 #345 47 2,481
CZ Girls 0 #351 1 5,378
MU Girls 0 #356 7 8,539
PH Girls 0 #356 35 13,098
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
PT Boys 0 #381 1 7,951
OM Girls 0 #383 14 15,987
France Girls 2005 #398 5 2,998
YE 0 #398 1 8,639
PH Boys 0 #401 8 11,440
MX 0 #402 12 8,339
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
EG 0 #411 2 6,387
ZA Girls 0 #422 1,266 25,928
CL 0 #427 8 6,867
Spain 0 #428 25 2,326
PT Girls 0 #433 19 7,952
NL Boys 0 #441 683 5,873
PA Girls 0 #472 10 9,861
HK Girls 0 #491 125 16,104
CM Girls 0 #495 46 11,671
CR Girls 0 #508 25 11,342
CO 0 #509 2 7,768
CR Boys 0 #509 2 10,188
PS Girls 0 #512 12 10,981
CM Boys 0 #514 37 12,054
RU Girls 0 #515 9 11,913
SG Girls 0 #523 64 18,916
IQ Girls 0 #525 1 11,303
AE Girls 0 #526 28 20,968
GT Girls 0 #534 8 7,500
UY Girls 0 #535 2 6,731
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
KW Girls 0 #554 8 19,177
HK Boys 0 #555 3 12,905
BH 0 #580 8 17,937
IL Girls 0 #603 15 11,648
NL Girls 0 #624 345 5,933
BO Girls 0 #646 6 9,488
IN Girls 0 #651 4 13,121
LB 0 #686 5 13,263
IT 0 #693 22 4,183
CL Boys 0 #697 4 13,390
SG Boys 0 #732 8 17,960
QA Boys 0 #737 7 18,093
NG Girls 0 #745 42 15,093
BR Boys 0 #780 6 12,213
Germany Girls 0 #793 46 4,949
KW Boys 0 #800 7 18,755
CL Girls 0 #818 34 14,098
Spain Girls 0 #820 164 5,561
TN 0 #862 4 13,765
United States Girls 2024 #881 36 8,487
United States Boys 2016 #890 8 7,365
MY Girls 0 #890 105 24,821
OM Boys 0 #910 9 17,948
PE Girls 0 #915 29 14,861
SA Girls 0 #916 20 25,931
BR Girls 0 #918 24 12,708
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
NG Boys 0 #926 26 16,906
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
EG Girls 0 #1,005 5 14,742
MX Girls 0 #1,027 157 17,781
CO Girls 0 #1,028 51 16,140
MX Boys 0 #1,033 1 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,039 1 16,750
MY Boys 0 #1,051 61 25,439
AE Boys 0 #1,080 13 22,615
TR 0 #1,188 24 19,440
MA 0 #1,195 5 20,986
IT Girls 0 #1,349 98 9,415
IT Boys 0 #1,456 16 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,686 6 28,008

Lesley is popular in 68 countries — most recent births per country:

Ireland
Scotland, United Kingdom
United States
Canada
France

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People also ask about Lesley

Lesley is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Lesley is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈlɛzli/ (LEZ-lee) or /ˈlɛsli/ (LESS-lee).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Leslie, Lesly, Leslee, Lesleigh and Lessie.
Across languages, Lesley has these equivalents: Leslie (alternate spelling), Les (diminutive).
Yes, very popular — Lesley ranked #1 in Ireland in 2002, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Lesley ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2002).