Head to head · Girls' names
Jazmin vs Leslie
#710 vs #712 in 2025
Jazmin is a whisker ahead (#710 vs #712 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Jazmin is holding its place on the charts, Leslie is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Leslie leads 3 measures of 6; Jazmin leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Jazmin —, Leslie #630 — Leslie higher
- 1890s: Jazmin —, Leslie #583 — Leslie higher
- 1900s: Jazmin —, Leslie #621 — Leslie higher
- 1910s: Jazmin —, Leslie #680 — Leslie higher
- 1920s: Jazmin —, Leslie #653 — Leslie higher
- 1930s: Jazmin —, Leslie #560 — Leslie higher
- 1940s: Jazmin —, Leslie #199 — Leslie higher
- 1950s: Jazmin —, Leslie #101 — Leslie higher
- 1960s: Jazmin #6039, Leslie #74 — Leslie higher
- 1970s: Jazmin #3297, Leslie #68 — Leslie higher
- 1980s: Jazmin #754, Leslie #77 — Leslie higher
- 1990s: Jazmin #224, Leslie #122 — Leslie higher
- 2000s: Jazmin #196, Leslie #109 — Leslie higher
- 2010s: Jazmin #430, Leslie #363 — Leslie higher
- 2020s: Jazmin #675, Leslie #643 — Leslie higher
Leslie stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Jazmin | Leslie |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #630 |
| 1890s | — | #583 |
| 1900s | — | #621 |
| 1910s | — | #680 |
| 1920s | — | #653 |
| 1930s | — | #560 |
| 1940s | — | #199 |
| 1950s | — | #101 |
| 1960s | #6039 | #74 |
| 1970s | #3297 | #68 |
| 1980s | #754 | #77 |
| 1990s | #224 | #122 |
| 2000s | #196 | #109 |
| 2010s | #430 | #363 |
| 2020s | #675 | #643 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Jazmin
jasmine — the flowering vine
From Persian yāsamīn, the name of the plant, borrowed into Arabic as yāsmīn and from there into the Romance languages.
Yāsamīn → Yāsmīn → Jasmin → Jasmine → Jazmin
How it traveled
The word began in Persian as yāsamīn, the name of the climbing shrub whose white flowers open at night, and traveled with the plant itself into Arabic, then into medieval Latin, Spanish and French. As a given name it followed the same road: Yasmin and Yasemin in the Persian- and Turkish-speaking world, Jasmine in French and English, Jazmín in Spanish.
Leslie
From the Scottish place and surname Leslie; most often read as 'garden of hollies'
The name is certainly from Leslie in Aberdeenshire, but the Gaelic behind that place name is argued over. The most repeated reading joins words for enclosure or garden and holly — 'holly garden'. Another takes the second element as 'grey', giving something like 'grey fort' or 'grey meadow'. The place is documented; the translation is not settled.
Leslie (Aberdeenshire place name) → Leslie (Scottish surname, Clan Leslie) → Leslie (given name for boys) → Lesley / Leslie (given name for girls)
How it traveled
Leslie is Scottish before it is anything else: a parish and estate in Aberdeenshire, then the surname of the family that held it, whose line produced the Earls of Rothes. Like many Scottish surnames it crossed into use as a given name, and for a long stretch it was given mainly to boys.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Jazmin
JAZ-min
Stress on the first syllable in English. Spanish speakers will often say jahz-MEEN, with the stress at the end, and both are correct for the same name.
- Jaz — The most common short form, informal, used across all the Jasmine spellings.
- Jazzy — Playful and family-side; tends to stay in childhood and among close friends.
- Mina — Drawn from the end of the name; also a standalone given name in several languages.
- Jazzie — Alternate spelling of the same nickname, more often written than said.
- Also Jaz-Jaz.
Leslie
LEZ-lee
The s is usually voiced, giving LEZ-lee; some speakers, particularly in parts of Britain, say LESS-lee. Both are accepted and the name survives either way.
- Les — The standard short form, used informally; also stands alone as a given name, most often for men of older generations.
- Lee — Informal, drawn from the ending rather than the start; a full given name in its own right for both sexes.
- Lelie — A family-level pet form, heard mostly from small children and relatives rather than in general use.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Jazmin if you want…
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Jaz, Jazzy and Mina
- a newer arrivalJazmin entered the US charts in 1962
Choose Leslie if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsLeslie is stepping back from its peak
- a long American recordLeslie was already in use when US records began in 1880
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Jazmin
Strengths
- The meaning is a common English word, so it needs no explanation and never goes out of date.
- Works in Spanish and English without adjustment — same letters, two natural pronunciations.
- Established short forms already in use: Jaz, Jazzy, Mina.
To consider
- Jasmine is the default spelling in most people's heads. Expect to spell Jazmin aloud fairly often, and to see mail addressed to Jasmine, Jasmin and Jazmine.
- Disney's Aladdin, from the early 1990s, gave Jasmine a princess, and the association still surfaces — usually fondly, occasionally as a joke that wears thin in middle school.
- The nickname Jaz or Jazz doubles as the music, which some people enjoy and some find they get asked about repeatedly.
Leslie
Strengths
- Spelled the way most English speakers expect on first hearing, and short enough to fit any form.
- In continuous use as a given name for well over a century, with an unbroken record rather than a single fashionable burst.
- Carries two long-established short forms, Les and Lee, both of which also work as full names.
To consider
- The gender split is real. In the US the spelling reads female; in Britain and much of the Commonwealth, Leslie reads male and Lesley female. A girl named Leslie may be assumed male on paperwork abroad, and a boy named Leslie will meet the opposite assumption here.
- Expect to spell it. Lesley, Lesly, Leslee and Leslie all circulate, so the question 'with an -ey?' will come up for life.
- The name sits strongly with adults now rather than with children, so a Leslie born today will likely be the only one in her class — and will be sharing a name with a great many grown women.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Jazmin and Leslie in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
Where Jazmin and Leslie each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Jazmin or Leslie — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Jazmin or Leslie?
- Jazmin, in 2025: Jazmin ranked #710 with 395 babies; Leslie ranked #712 with 393 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Jazmin or Leslie?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Jazmin moved down 72 places; Leslie moved down 117 places.
- Which is the older name, Jazmin or Leslie?
- Jazmin entered the US charts in 1962; Leslie was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Leslie is the older name.
- How many people are named Jazmin and Leslie?
- About 44,000 people named Jazmin are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 245,000 people named Leslie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Jazmins or Leslies in the classroom?
- Jazmin will almost certainly be the only one in school. Leslie will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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