Head to head · Girls' names
Leslie vs Mckinley
#712 vs #712 in 2025 · both stepping back from its peak
Leslie and Mckinley share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#712). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
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; Mckinley leads 0.
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: Leslie #630, Mckinley — — Leslie higher
- 1890s: Leslie #583, Mckinley — — Leslie higher
- 1900s: Leslie #621, Mckinley — — Leslie higher
- 1910s: Leslie #680, Mckinley — — Leslie higher
- 1920s: Leslie #653, Mckinley — — Leslie higher
- 1930s: Leslie #560, Mckinley — — Leslie higher
- 1940s: Leslie #199, Mckinley — — Leslie higher
- 1950s: Leslie #101, Mckinley — — Leslie higher
- 1960s: Leslie #74, Mckinley — — Leslie higher
- 1970s: Leslie #68, Mckinley #9380 — Leslie higher
- 1980s: Leslie #77, Mckinley #7721 — Leslie higher
- 1990s: Leslie #122, Mckinley #3024 — Leslie higher
- 2000s: Leslie #109, Mckinley #1044 — Leslie higher
- 2010s: Leslie #363, Mckinley #444 — Leslie higher
- 2020s: Leslie #643, Mckinley #639 — Mckinley higher
Leslie stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Mckinley took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Leslie | Mckinley |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #630 | — |
| 1890s | #583 | — |
| 1900s | #621 | — |
| 1910s | #680 | — |
| 1920s | #653 | — |
| 1930s | #560 | — |
| 1940s | #199 | — |
| 1950s | #101 | — |
| 1960s | #74 | — |
| 1970s | #68 | #9380 |
| 1980s | #77 | #7721 |
| 1990s | #122 | #3024 |
| 2000s | #109 | #1044 |
| 2010s | #363 | #444 |
| 2020s | #643 | #639 |
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
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.
Mckinley
son of Fionnlagh, a Gaelic name meaning "fair hero"
The first element is Gaelic fionn, "fair, white." The second, laogh, is read as "hero" or "warrior" in the personal name, though its plain-word sense is "calf" — a shift that happened long before the surname formed.
Fionnlagh → Mac Fhionnlaigh → McKinlay → McKinley → Mckinley
How it traveled
The root is Fionnlagh, an old Gaelic given name that also gave English Finlay and Findlay. In the Highlands it became a family name, Mac Fhionnlaigh — son of Fionnlagh — anglicized in dozens of ways, McKinlay and McKinley among them.
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
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.
Mckinley
muh-KIN-lee
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. A flatter MACK-in-lee is sometimes heard, especially from readers treating the Mc- as a separate block.
- Kinley — The most-used short form, and also given on its own as a full name in the US.
- Mac — Informal; drawn from the Gaelic prefix, and used for both boys and girls.
- Mack — Same short form with the older surname spelling; informal.
- Kin — Very informal, mostly family use.
- Also Mickey.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Leslie if you want…
- a name with fewer syllablesLeslie is 2 syllables to Mckinley's 3
- a long American recordLeslie was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Mckinley if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsMckinley is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itMckinley runs 3 syllables, Leslie 2
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Kinley, Mac and Mack
- a newer arrivalMckinley entered the US charts in 1978
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
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.
Mckinley
Strengths
- Traces an unbroken line from a Gaelic personal name through a Highland surname to a modern American given name.
- Has ready-made short forms — Kinley, Mac — one of which stands alone as a name in its own right.
- Familiar as a surname to nearly everyone, so the sound needs no explanation even when the given name is new to someone.
To consider
- The capitalization is a lifelong small nuisance: Mckinley, McKinley and MacKinley all circulate, and autocorrect has opinions. Deciding on one form early, and writing it that way consistently, saves a lot of correcting later.
- It reads as a girl's name in current American use, but the same spelling is still given to boys, and it remains a common surname — expect the occasional assumption to be corrected.
- The strongest association for many adults is President William McKinley and the Alaskan peak that carried his name for a century. That link is neutral for most people, but it is there.
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 Leslie and Mckinley in full.
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Decide together
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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 Leslie and Mckinley each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Leslie or Mckinley — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Leslie or Mckinley?
- They tie in 2025: Leslie ranked #712 with 393 babies; Mckinley ranked #712 with 393 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Leslie or Mckinley?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Leslie moved down 117 places; Mckinley moved down 158 places.
- Which is the older name, Leslie or Mckinley?
- Leslie was already in use when US records began in 1880; Mckinley entered the US charts in 1978. On the American record, Leslie is the older name.
- How many people are named Leslie and Mckinley?
- About 245,000 people named Leslie are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 13,000 people named Mckinley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Leslies or Mckinleys in the classroom?
- Leslie will almost certainly be the only one in school. Mckinley 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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