Leen
Feminine · “tender”
Leen is a short form with two homes — the Dutch clipping of Helena or Carolien, and the Arabic layyin, meaning tender or soft.
How old is the name Leen?
Leen first appears in US birth records in 1991 — 34 years ago. The typical Leen is a kid of about 8 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,800 people named Leen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Leen most popular?
Leen peaked in 2024, reaching #1771 nationally. Today it ranks #1844, 73 places below that high. See the whole 2024 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From layyin to Leen
The story of Leen
Leen is an ordinary Arabic girls' name and has risen sharply across the Arabic-speaking world since the 2000s, particularly in the Levant and the Gulf. Separately, it is a long-established Dutch short form. Both routes brought it to America, where it appears in the registers rising and is in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
tender, soft; light
Two routes. The Arabic leen or layyin, 'tender', 'soft' or 'gentle', from a root about pliancy. Or a Dutch and Flemish short form of Helena, Magdalena or Carolien. Both are genuine and neither is dominant; the Arabic route is the commoner one in American records.
How the name formed
- layyin
- Leen
Related forms: لين · Leen · Lene
Pronouncing Leen
LEEN
One syllable. Arabic and Dutch both say it the same way.
Nicknames for Leen
Moderate
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
- 1991
- Most girls named
- 2024114 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1771reached in 2024
- Change vs 2024
- −5.3%108 in 2025, from 114
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.
Leen in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- لين in Arabic — transliteration
- Leen in Dutch — same name
- Lene in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: Michigan, California, New York.
Leens among us
people named Leen are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 14,882 born in 2025 was named Leen
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Leyna test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Leen's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Leyna climbed just as high around 2006, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Leyna's path sketches the road Leen is walking now.
Leen is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Leen is headed
Leen should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Leen beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Leen in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The tender meaning is transparent and unusually gentle.
- Two genuine living traditions can claim it, Arabic and Dutch.
- Four letters, one syllable, and never misheard.
- The two origins are entirely unrelated.
- In Dutch, Leen is also used as a masculine short form.
- It is very short and can be swallowed by a long surname.
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What they receive
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Leen
Feminine · #1844 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Leens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,800 people named Leen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Leen in 2025?
- Leen ranks #1844 among US girl names in 2025, with 108 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Leen?
- About 1 in every 14,882 US girls born in 2025 was named Leen — 108 in all.
- Will my child share the name Leen with classmates?
- Leen will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Leen
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Vivien#1844 · Francine#1844 · Rhaenyra#1844 · Ambar#1844 · Darlene#1844 · Emberleigh#1844 · Elissa#1844 · Brenna#1844
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Leen? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Leen and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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