Leni
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- LAY-nee
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #493 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #1,173 for girls
Leni is a girls' name of Greek origin. In 2025 it ranked 493rd for girls in the UK (90 babies) and 1,173rd for girls in the US (197 babies).
What does Leni mean?
Greek: German pet form of Helene or Magdalena
A German pet form of Helene or Magdalena.
Is Leni a girl's or a boy's name?
Leni is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 90 girls and 5 boys in the UK and 197 girls in the US.
How popular is Leni in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #493among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 90about 1 in 3,100 girls
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 303% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 90 girls in the UK were named Leni, making it the 493rd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,286th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 106 girls. 5 boys were also named Leni in 2025 (3,747th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Leni in the UK since 1996 were born between 2015 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 395 girls in the UK were given Leni or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #160, up from #493 for this spelling alone.
In 2025, 95% of the babies named Leni in the UK were girls.
Among girls in 2025, it was 514th in England and Wales, 474th in Scotland and 259th in Northern Ireland.
Leni in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 90 | #493 |
| 2024 | 94 | #476 |
| 2023 | 106 | #436 |
| 2022 | 43 | #878 |
| 2021 | 47 | #833 |
| 2020 | 27 | #1,286 |
| 2019 | 18 | #1,729 |
| 2018 | 27 | #1,298 |
| 2017 | 20 | #1,647 |
| 2016 | 26 | #1,361 |
| 2015 | 22 | #1,527 |
| 2014 | 22 | #1,494 |
| 2013 | 20 | #1,617 |
| 2012 | 17 | #1,828 |
| 2011 | 14 | #2,032 |
| 2010 | 23 | #1,418 |
| 2009 | 17 | #1,691 |
| 2008 | 17 | #1,679 |
| 2007 | 10 | #2,354 |
| 2006 | 14 | #1,764 |
| 2005 | 10 | #2,206 |
| 2004 | 6 | #2,957 |
How popular is Leni in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,173among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 197about 1 in 8,200 girls
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 107% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 197 girls in the US were named Leni, making it the 1,173rd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,924th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 201 girls. It first appears in the records in 1938.
Half of all the girls named Leni in the US since 1880 were born between 2009 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 6,966 girls in the US were given Leni or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #25, up from #1,173 for this spelling alone.
Leni in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 197 | #1,173 |
| 2024 | 187 | #1,242 |
| 2023 | 201 | #1,195 |
| 2022 | 141 | #1,521 |
| 2021 | 117 | #1,750 |
| 2020 | 99 | #1,924 |
| 2019 | 103 | #1,919 |
| 2018 | 81 | #2,254 |
| 2017 | 55 | #2,964 |
| 2016 | 52 | #3,139 |
| 2015 | 40 | #3,766 |
| 2014 | 39 | #3,846 |
| 2013 | 32 | #4,420 |
| 2012 | 36 | #4,119 |
| 2011 | 34 | #4,243 |
| 2010 | 28 | #4,972 |
| 2009 | 33 | #4,481 |
| 2008 | 23 | #5,952 |
| 2007 | 18 | #7,088 |
| 2006 | 26 | #5,232 |
| 2005 | 11 | #9,447 |
| 2004 | 6 | #14,172 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 7 | #10,263 |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 7 | #9,675 |
| 1988 | 5 | #11,792 |
| 1987 | 5 | #11,320 |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 6 | #9,013 |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 5 | #10,409 |
| 1980 | 7 | #8,177 |
| 1979 | 7 | #8,059 |
| 1978 | 6 | #8,560 |
| 1977 | 9 | #6,338 |
| 1976 | 5 | #9,282 |
| 1975 | 7 | #7,171 |
| 1974 | 6 | #7,678 |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 8 | #5,455 |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 6 | #6,041 |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 5 | #6,538 |
| 1964 | 10 | #4,354 |
| 1963 | 7 | #5,295 |
| 1962 | 5 | #6,577 |
| 1961 | 14 | #3,459 |
| 1960 | 7 | #5,167 |
| 1959 | 8 | #4,624 |
| 1958 | 6 | #5,407 |
| 1957 | 10 | #3,929 |
| 1956 | 10 | #3,909 |
| 1955 | 12 | #3,376 |
| 1954 | 6 | #5,146 |
| 1953 | 8 | #4,225 |
| 1952 | 5 | #5,561 |
| 1951 | 13 | #2,936 |
| 1950 | 11 | #3,234 |
| 1949 | 18 | #2,339 |
| 1948 | 18 | #2,328 |
| 1947 | 14 | #2,768 |
| 1946 | 12 | #2,879 |
| 1945 | 11 | #2,741 |
| 1944 | 15 | #2,286 |
| 1943 | 11 | #2,860 |
| 1942 | 14 | #2,415 |
| 1941 | 11 | #2,666 |
| 1940 | 8 | #3,206 |
| 1939 | 5 | #4,248 |
| 1938 | 6 | #3,845 |
Names like Leni
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Lyra Thea Lyla Freya Lexi Isla Mila Harper Myla Maisie Willow Luna
Other spellings of Leni
Lainey Laynie Laney Lainie Lanie Lainee Laynee Layni Layney Laini Lainy
Names related to Leni
More Greek names
Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Phoebe Margot Luke Chloe Sophie Zoe
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, “Leni: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/leni, updated 20 October 2026.