Leighton
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- LAY-ton
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #521 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #342 for girls
Leighton is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “leek or herb garden”. In 2025 it ranked 521st for boys in the UK (81 babies) and 342nd for girls in the US (892 babies).
What does Leighton mean?
English: English surname from a place name
“leek or herb garden”
From English place names such as Leighton Buzzard, from Old English words for leek and enclosure.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Leighton a girl's or a boy's name?
Leighton is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 6 girls and 81 boys in the UK and 892 girls and 207 boys in the US.
How popular is Leighton in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #521among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 81about 1 in 3,700 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 37% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 81 boys in the UK were named Leighton, making it the 521st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 402nd. Its busiest year was 2013, with 431 boys. 6 girls were also named Leighton in 2025 (3,776th for girls).
2025 had fewer boys named Leighton than any year since 1997.
Half of all the boys named Leighton in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 191 boys in the UK were given Leighton or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #277, up from #521 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 539th in England and Wales and 367th in Scotland.
Leighton in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 81 | #521 |
| 2024 | 104 | #433 |
| 2023 | 90 | #490 |
| 2022 | 118 | #402 |
| 2021 | 122 | #405 |
| 2020 | 120 | #402 |
| 2019 | 146 | #351 |
| 2018 | 172 | #315 |
| 2017 | 246 | #247 |
| 2016 | 269 | #228 |
| 2015 | 323 | #200 |
| 2014 | 397 | #162 |
| 2013 | 431 | #153 |
| 2012 | 390 | #167 |
| 2011 | 321 | #194 |
| 2010 | 334 | #183 |
| 2009 | 305 | #195 |
| 2008 | 274 | #197 |
| 2007 | 273 | #194 |
| 2006 | 208 | #223 |
| 2005 | 150 | #256 |
| 2004 | 138 | #267 |
| 2003 | 120 | #290 |
| 2002 | 137 | #245 |
| 2001 | 98 | #313 |
| 2000 | 82 | #353 |
| 1999 | 86 | #340 |
| 1998 | 92 | #311 |
| 1997 | 77 | #354 |
| 1996 | 62 | #386 |
How popular is Leighton in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #342among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 892about 1 in 1,800 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 13% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 892 girls in the US were named Leighton, making it the 342nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 401st. It first appears in the records in 1956. 207 boys were also named Leighton in 2025 (1,056th for boys).
2025 had the most girls named Leighton of any year since it first appeared, in 1956.
Half of all the girls named Leighton in the US since 1880 were born between 2013 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 1,041 girls in the US were given Leighton or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #324, up from #342 for this spelling alone.
In 1956, 11% of the babies named Leighton in the US were girls. By 2025 it was 81%, with more girls than boys since 2008.
Leighton in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 892 | #342 |
| 2024 | 797 | #396 |
| 2023 | 853 | #357 |
| 2022 | 842 | #376 |
| 2021 | 825 | #379 |
| 2020 | 777 | #401 |
| 2019 | 752 | #420 |
| 2018 | 712 | #449 |
| 2017 | 668 | #468 |
| 2016 | 756 | #430 |
| 2015 | 680 | #470 |
| 2014 | 568 | #544 |
| 2013 | 546 | #544 |
| 2012 | 521 | #564 |
| 2011 | 549 | #527 |
| 2010 | 452 | #647 |
| 2009 | 431 | #675 |
| 2008 | 213 | #1,193 |
| 2007 | 53 | #3,214 |
| 2006 | 37 | #3,991 |
| 2005 | 38 | #3,805 |
| 2004 | 32 | #4,283 |
| 2003 | 30 | #4,303 |
| 2002 | 30 | #4,175 |
| 2001 | 31 | #4,021 |
| 2000 | 37 | #3,522 |
| 1999 | 34 | #3,566 |
| 1998 | 35 | #3,423 |
| 1997 | 42 | #2,871 |
| 1996 | 33 | #3,424 |
| 1995 | 25 | #4,094 |
| 1994 | 15 | #5,978 |
| 1993 | 7 | #10,581 |
| 1992 | 16 | #5,711 |
| 1991 | 12 | #6,969 |
| 1990 | 8 | #9,241 |
| 1989 | 9 | #8,031 |
| 1988 | 7 | #9,239 |
| 1987 | 9 | #7,348 |
| 1986 | 9 | #7,130 |
| 1985 | 7 | #8,315 |
| 1984 | 6 | #9,139 |
| 1983 | 5 | #10,272 |
| 1982 | 5 | #10,514 |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 6 | #5,324 |
Names like Leighton
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Mason Grayson Hudson Harrison Jaxon Ashton Logan Lincoln Sonny Landon Dawson Lennon
Other spellings of Leighton
More English names
Lily Evelyn Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Cooper Ruby Hallie Hazel Carter
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, “Leighton: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/leighton, updated 20 October 2026.