Boys' name · peaked in 1921
Leland name popularity since 1925
48,537 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Leland (0.9% girls, 99.1% boys). Half of them were born in 1966 or earlier, so the typical Leland is about 60 years old in 2026. Leland peaked in 1921 as the #171 name for boys, and it ranked #494 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 48,537
- Named Leland, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1921
- #171 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #494
- for boys in 2025 (612 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.1% boys
- 439 girls · 48,098 boys
- Most popular in
- South Dakota
- 2.76× its national share
Peak year is the year Leland made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Leland births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2007. Measured as a share of all babies, Leland peaked earlier, in 1921.
- Steepest fall: Between 1991 and 1996, Leland's share of baby boys fell by 42%, from 1 in 7,570 to 1 in 13,200.
- Fastest rise: Between 2004 and 2009, it became 8.1× more common, from 1 in 18,000 baby boys to 1 in 2,220.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Leland's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Leland.
Decade by decade
Babies named Leland in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 16 | 4,008 | – |
| 1930s | 42 | 6,277 | #201 |
| 1940s | 19 | 6,261 | #247 |
| 1950s | 11 | 5,256 | #306 |
| 1960s | 22 | 3,528 | #413 |
| 1970s | 11 | 2,284 | #566 |
| 1980s | 12 | 2,103 | #689 |
| 1990s | 21 | 1,884 | #808 |
| 2000s | 82 | 4,540 | #608 |
| 2010s | 99 | 8,266 | #378 |
| 2020–25 | 104 | 3,691 | #494 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
24.0% of babies named Leland from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Silent Generation years (1928–1945). The full split by generation:
Where Leland is most popular
The index compares Leland's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Leland.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | 2.76× | 390 |
| North Dakota | 2.59× | 363 |
| Nebraska | 2.55× | 795 |
| Kansas | 2.53× | 1,147 |
| Iowa | 2.43× | 1,371 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Leland's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Leland.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Leland (1921).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data