Leif
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- LEEF
- Origin
- Old Norse
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,080 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #917 for boys
Leif is a boys' name of Old Norse origin, meaning “heir, descendant”. In 2025 it ranked 1,080th for boys in the UK (30 babies) and 917th for boys in the US (257 babies).
What does Leif mean?
Old Norse: from Old Norse Leifr
“heir, descendant”
The Norse explorer Leif Erikson is thought to have reached North America around the year 1000.
Is Leif a girl's or a boy's name?
Leif is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 30 boys in the UK and 257 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Leif in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,080among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 30about 1 in 10,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 139% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 30 boys in the UK were named Leif, making it the 1,080th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,581st. Its busiest year was 2023, with 40 boys.
Half of all the boys named Leif in the UK since 1996 were born between 2011 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,007th in England and Wales.
Leif in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 30 | #1,080 |
| 2024 | 40 | #863 |
| 2023 | 40 | #874 |
| 2022 | 33 | #998 |
| 2021 | 16 | #1,619 |
| 2020 | 16 | #1,581 |
| 2019 | 13 | #1,858 |
| 2018 | 17 | #1,555 |
| 2017 | 16 | #1,649 |
| 2016 | 15 | #1,723 |
| 2015 | 15 | #1,693 |
| 2014 | 13 | #1,834 |
| 2013 | 6 | #3,096 |
| 2012 | 9 | #2,382 |
| 2011 | 5 | #3,446 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 15 | #1,582 |
| 2008 | 4 | #3,836 |
| 2007 | 13 | #1,667 |
| 2006 | 3 | #4,204 |
| 2005 | 11 | #1,701 |
| 2004 | 8 | #1,983 |
| 2003 | 9 | #1,723 |
| 2002 | 4 | #2,751 |
| 2001 | 8 | #1,690 |
| 2000 | 5 | #2,237 |
| 1999 | 3 | #3,043 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 9 | #1,394 |
How popular is Leif in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #917among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 257about 1 in 6,600 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 20% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 257 boys in the US were named Leif, making it the 917th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 910th. Its busiest year was 2022, with 290 boys. It first appears in the records in 1912.
Half of all the boys named Leif in the US since 1880 were born between 1975 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
Leif in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 257 | #917 |
| 2024 | 250 | #927 |
| 2023 | 279 | #860 |
| 2022 | 290 | #841 |
| 2021 | 221 | #991 |
| 2020 | 245 | #910 |
| 2019 | 205 | #1,013 |
| 2018 | 207 | #998 |
| 2017 | 218 | #955 |
| 2016 | 214 | #963 |
| 2015 | 187 | #1,061 |
| 2014 | 205 | #1,004 |
| 2013 | 195 | #1,005 |
| 2012 | 179 | #1,060 |
| 2011 | 185 | #1,028 |
| 2010 | 176 | #1,092 |
| 2009 | 175 | #1,063 |
| 2008 | 140 | #1,240 |
| 2007 | 128 | #1,327 |
| 2006 | 135 | #1,239 |
| 2005 | 152 | #1,080 |
| 2004 | 114 | #1,302 |
| 2003 | 138 | #1,110 |
| 2002 | 101 | #1,312 |
| 2001 | 120 | #1,149 |
| 2000 | 126 | #1,114 |
| 1999 | 114 | #1,147 |
| 1998 | 91 | #1,298 |
| 1997 | 81 | #1,363 |
| 1996 | 89 | #1,244 |
| 1995 | 81 | #1,302 |
| 1994 | 84 | #1,271 |
| 1993 | 75 | #1,308 |
| 1992 | 79 | #1,270 |
| 1991 | 97 | #1,107 |
| 1990 | 87 | #1,161 |
| 1989 | 81 | #1,180 |
| 1988 | 94 | #1,002 |
| 1987 | 97 | #953 |
| 1986 | 113 | #854 |
| 1985 | 110 | #857 |
| 1984 | 113 | #823 |
| 1983 | 136 | #740 |
| 1982 | 164 | #676 |
| 1981 | 154 | #694 |
| 1980 | 169 | #664 |
| 1979 | 181 | #638 |
| 1978 | 124 | #759 |
| 1977 | 82 | #937 |
| 1976 | 90 | #878 |
| 1975 | 109 | #796 |
| 1974 | 97 | #818 |
| 1973 | 95 | #810 |
| 1972 | 109 | #760 |
| 1971 | 114 | #767 |
| 1970 | 157 | #653 |
| 1969 | 135 | #676 |
| 1968 | 102 | #736 |
| 1967 | 96 | #754 |
| 1966 | 72 | #853 |
| 1965 | 83 | #809 |
| 1964 | 80 | #849 |
| 1963 | 86 | #816 |
| 1962 | 77 | #861 |
| 1961 | 77 | #869 |
| 1960 | 78 | #861 |
| 1959 | 61 | #986 |
| 1958 | 48 | #1,103 |
| 1957 | 58 | #994 |
| 1956 | 44 | #1,139 |
| 1955 | 44 | #1,113 |
| 1954 | 46 | #1,100 |
| 1953 | 46 | #1,073 |
| 1952 | 34 | #1,267 |
| 1951 | 21 | #1,642 |
| 1950 | 40 | #1,122 |
| 1949 | 38 | #1,143 |
| 1948 | 23 | #1,518 |
| 1947 | 21 | #1,645 |
| 1946 | 20 | #1,600 |
| 1945 | 17 | #1,632 |
| 1944 | 13 | #1,987 |
| 1943 | 17 | #1,763 |
| 1942 | 18 | #1,682 |
| 1941 | 13 | #1,997 |
| 1940 | 16 | #1,736 |
| 1939 | 19 | #1,532 |
| 1938 | 13 | #1,976 |
| 1937 | 13 | #1,992 |
| 1936 | 8 | #2,628 |
| 1935 | 7 | #2,951 |
| 1934 | 8 | #2,742 |
| 1933 | 7 | #3,003 |
| 1932 | 12 | #2,191 |
| 1931 | 14 | #2,003 |
| 1930 | 10 | #2,607 |
| 1929 | 15 | #2,002 |
| 1928 | 14 | #2,162 |
| 1927 | 10 | #2,702 |
| 1926 | 16 | #1,981 |
| 1925 | 15 | #2,088 |
| 1924 | 11 | #2,641 |
| 1923 | 12 | #2,445 |
| 1922 | 14 | #2,239 |
| 1921 | 13 | #2,375 |
| 1920 | 6 | #3,814 |
| 1919 | 20 | #1,694 |
| 1918 | 18 | #1,826 |
| 1917 | 17 | #1,814 |
| 1916 | 17 | #1,770 |
| 1915 | 21 | #1,504 |
| 1914 | 14 | #1,686 |
| 1913 | 13 | #1,496 |
| 1912 | 7 | #2,044 |
Names like Leif
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Myles Jude Lucas Rafe Eric Blake Sonny Leonardo Ali Levi Lenny Colby
More Old Norse names
Freya Ronnie Ralph Astrid Odin Ralphie Erik Freyja Erick Bo Ronald Bjorn Erica Raife Ivar Gunnar
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Leif: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/leif, updated 20 October 2026.