Leif

Last seen for girls in 1981 at #10,411 · #917 for boys in 2025, 257 births
Given to boys >99.9% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1979 · 181 births
Debut · boys
7 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
9,997
since 1912

Leif over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Leif has never cracked the top 600 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201990peak #638, 1979boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#917257
2024—#927250
2023—#860279
2022—#841290
2021—#991221
2020—#910245
2019—#1,013205
2018—#998207
2017—#955218
2016—#963214
2015—#1,061187
2014—#1,004205
2013—#1,005195
2012—#1,060179
2011—#1,028185
2010—#1,092176
2009—#1,063175
2008—#1,240140
2007—#1,327128
2006—#1,239135
2005—#1,081152
2004—#1,304114
2003—#1,111138
2002—#1,315101
2001—#1,151120
2000—#1,116126
1999—#1,149114
1998—#1,30191
1997—#1,36681
1996—#1,24689
1995—#1,30781
1994—#1,27584
1993—#1,31375
1992—#1,27479
1991—#1,11397
1990—#1,16687
1989—#1,18481
1988—#1,00394
1987—#95497
1986—#854113
1985—#857110
1984—#823113
1983—#740136
1982—#676164
1981#10,4115#694154
1980—#664169
1979—#638181
1978—#759124
1977—#93782
1976—#87890
1975—#796109
1974—#81897
1973—#81095
1972—#760109
1971—#767114
1970—#653157
1969—#676135
1968—#736102
1967—#75496
1966—#85372
1965—#80983
1964—#84980
1963—#81686
1962—#86277
1961—#87077
1960—#86278
1959—#98761
1958—#1,10448
1957—#99558
1956—#1,14044
1955—#1,11444
1954—#1,10146
1953—#1,07446
1952—#1,26834
1951—#1,64321
1950—#1,12340
1949—#1,14438
1948—#1,51923
1947—#1,64621
1946—#1,60120
1945—#1,63317
1944—#1,98813
1943—#1,76417
1942—#1,68218
1941—#1,99713
1940—#1,73616
1939—#1,53219
1938—#1,97613
1937—#1,99213
1936—#2,6298
1935—#2,9517
1934—#2,7428
1933—#3,0047
1932—#2,19112
1931—#2,00314
1930—#2,60910
1929—#2,00215
1928—#2,16214
1927—#2,70310
1926—#1,98116
1925—#2,08915
1924—#2,64111
1923—#2,44612
1922—#2,24014
1921—#2,37613
1920—#3,8156
1919—#1,69520
1918—#1,82718
1917—#1,81517
1916—#1,77117
1915—#1,50521
1914—#1,68714
1913—#1,49713
1912—#2,0457
1911——
1910——
1909——
1908——
1907——
1906——
1905——
1904——
1903——
1902——
1901——
1900——
1899——
1898——
1897——
1896——
1895——
1894——
1893——
1892——
1891——
1890——
1889——
1888——
1887——
1886——
1885——
1884——
1883——
1882——
1881——
1880——
First appearance
1912

The first year at least five boys were named Leif! It came in at #2,045, and was given to 7 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1920, when fewer than 7 boys a year got the name.

Where Leif is popular in 1990

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedNHWashington: #399 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 3,980 boysWAIdaho: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedMNIllinois: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedILWisconsin: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedWIMichigan: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedMINew York: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedIAIndiana: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedINOhio: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedOHPennsylvania: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #1,030 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 19,352 boysCAUtah: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedUTColorado: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedCONebraska: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedNEMissouri: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedMOKentucky: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedWVVirginia: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedVAMaryland: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedNMKansas: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedKSArkansas: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedARTennessee: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedTNNorth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedDCOklahoma: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedLAMississippi: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedMSAlabama: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedALGeorgia: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedHITexas: fewer than 5 boys named Leif, so not publishedTXFlorida: #945 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 15,285 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Washington#399 · 1 in 3,980
  2. Florida#945 · 1 in 15,285
  3. California#1,030 · 1 in 19,352

Best ever in a state: #119 in New Hampshire, 1979.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Washington#39991 in 3,980
Florida#94561 in 15,285
California#1,030151 in 19,352
Alabama———
Alaska———
Arizona———
Arkansas———
Colorado———
Connecticut———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Georgia———
Hawaii———
Idaho———
Illinois———
Indiana———
Iowa———
Kansas———
Kentucky———
Louisiana———
Maine———
Maryland———
Massachusetts———
Michigan———
Minnesota———
Mississippi———
Missouri———
Montana———
Nebraska———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
New Jersey———
New Mexico———
New York———
North Carolina———
North Dakota———
Ohio———
Oklahoma———
Oregon———
Pennsylvania———
Rhode Island———
South Carolina———
South Dakota———
Tennessee———
Texas———
Utah———
Vermont———
Virginia———
West Virginia———
Wisconsin———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Leif
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 10 spots since 2024 (#927 → #917)
  • 7 spots since 2020 (#910 → #917)
  • 144 spots since 2015 (#1,061 → #917)
  • Biggest jump: 178 spots in 1978 (#937 → #759)
  • Biggest drop: 114 spots in 1971 (#653 → #767)
Rise & fade · boys
67 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1912
  • Peaked 1979 at #638 (181 births)
  • Births halved by 1989, 10 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 39 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 39 yrs · run 1959–1987
Share of babies · boys
1 in 6,021
  • Highest: 1 in 6,021 boys born in 2022 were named Leif (0.02%)
  • Latest: 1 in 6,646 boys born in 2025 (0.02%)
  • Its best rank, #638 in 1979, was only 1 in 9,511 (0.01%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 2010s
  • 19.7% of all boys named Leif (1,971) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1910s127#1,497 (1913)#1,730
1920s126#1,981 (1926)#2,446
1930s111#1,532 (1939)#2,363
1940s196#1,144 (1949)#1,671
1950s442#987 (1959)#1,155
1960s886#676 (1969)#809
1970s1,158#638 (1979)#782
1980s1,231#664 (1980)#845
1990s878#1,113 (1991)#1,251
2000s1,329#1,063 (2009)#1,195
2010s1,971#955 (2017)#1,018
2020s1,542#841 (2022)#908

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Leif in 1990

boys
#1,166
87 births · 1 in 23,610 boys

Top boys' names in 1990

  1. #1Michael65,321
  2. #2Christopher52,362
  3. #3Matthew44,826
  4. #4Joshua43,237
  5. #5Daniel33,830
  6. #6David33,748
  7. #7Andrew33,673
  8. #8James32,359
  9. #9Justin30,649
  10. #10Joseph30,137
  11. #1,166Leif87
More about 1990

boys

2,054,038 boys got a published name in 1990; 1 in 23,610 of them was named Leif, which outranked 87.7% of the 9,493 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 19.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Leif
  1. #1,156Marcelino88
  2. #1,156Ravi88
  3. #1,156Rohan88
  4. #1,166Leif87
  5. #1,166Bailey87
  6. #1,166Isai87
  7. #1,166Jennifer87
  8. #1,176Breon86
  9. #1,176Ishmael86
  10. #1,176Keyon86

Tied with 9 names at #1,166; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1989
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,636Tevin#4,017 → #381
  2. ↑ 3,283Keenen#4,271 → #988
  3. ↑ 1,325Male#2,027 → #702
  4. ↑ 1,032Denzel#1,476 → #444
  5. ↑ 598Kevon#1,476 → #878
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,130Kiara#956 → #2,086
  2. ↓ 916Rachel#993 → #1,909
  3. ↓ 855Nicole#985 → #1,840
  4. ↓ 746Tiffany#956 → #1,702
  5. ↓ 681Sarah#819 → #1,500

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1990 →