Le
Feminine
Le is given to both — 878 girls and 775 boys since 1880. See Le as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Le is two letters, and in the American record of the last century it is almost always an initial rather than a word — while in Vietnam it is one of the most common family names there is.
How old is the name Le?
Le first appears in US birth records in 1916 — 109 years ago. The typical Le alive today was born around 1974, making them about 51 years old. About 800 people named Le are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Le most popular?
Le peaked in 1960, reaching #2512 nationally. See the whole 1960 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Le
Naming a child with a letter rather than a word is an American habit with a long record and almost no documentation, because the reason is always inside a family: a grandmother's initial, a father's first letter, a set of siblings whose names had to begin the same way. The letter gets said aloud, said aloud it becomes a syllable, and the syllable ends up on a form. Two-letter names then run into a second problem: a great many computer systems will not accept them, because somebody decided a name must have at least three characters. People carrying them spend their lives adding a letter to get through a website.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The Vietnamese surname, which is written with a mark this spelling does not carry, comes from a dynasty that ruled for three centuries. The American name of the early twentieth century is a different thing entirely: a spoken initial written down, or a clipping of Leona, Leland or Lee, with no connection to Vietnam at all.
Pronouncing Le
LEE
One syllable. The Vietnamese surname is said with a tone that English does not reproduce and is closer to lay.
Nicknames for Le
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1916
- Most girls named
- 198235 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2512reached in 1960
- Change vs 2005
- +20.0%6 in 2006, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Le in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Lê in Vietnamese — related form
Les among us
people named Le are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Le sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is as short as a name can be and instantly said by anyone.
- It works for either child.
- It is impossible to misspell.
- Two-letter names are rejected by a surprising number of forms and databases.
- The spelling is recorded almost evenly for boys and girls, so it signals nothing about sex on a form.
- Vietnamese speakers will read it as a surname, which it is in their language.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Le to the vote.
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Le
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Les are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Le are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Le in 2025?
- Le is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Le with classmates?
- Le will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More L names
The most-given names starting with L, all years combined.
Linda#902 · Lisa#987 · Laura#379 · Lauren#401 · Lillian#57 · Lori#1721 · Louise#514 · Lois#1666
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Le? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Le and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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