The Leslie surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 25,078 people carried this name — #1,417 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,800 people counted. That is up 3% from 24,266 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Leslie surname

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.

From a placename in Aberdeenshire, originally Lesslyn, Scottish Gaelic lios cuileann (“garden of hollies”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Leslie» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 15 births for the Leslie name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Londonderry.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 9
Leinster 3
Munster 3

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 77 people named Leslie live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Chubut.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Chubut 42
Córdoba 20
Buenos Aires Province 15

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

30 people named Leslie live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 8
Zurich 6
Appenzell Ausserrhoden 5
Basel-Stadt 4
Uri 4
Geneva 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 28 people named Leslie.

Most of them — 23 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Guadeloupe.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 23
Guadeloupe 4
Haute-Vienne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

24 people named Leslie is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 24

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland, 1880s

Leslie was 18 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 556. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Scattered.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 591 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Leslie was recorded 100 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 256th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 161. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Leslie in American newspapers,
1854–1915.

Newspaper page from Eastern Times carrying the name Leslie
Eastern Times 1854-06-22
Newspaper page from St. Tammany Farmer carrying the name Leslie
St. Tammany Farmer 1915-02-27
Newspaper page from The Columbus Commercial carrying the name Leslie
The Columbus Commercial 1902-09-23

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 11,570 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Leslie in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

305,059 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Leslie. The most, 59,381, date from the 1920s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 94,078
Victoria 68,274
Queensland 44,170
Western Australia 42,513
South Australia 37,134
Tasmania 14,788
ACT (Canberra) 2,746
Northern Territory 218

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Leslie.

Who carried it

People named Leslie,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Lesley
    John Lesley 1527–1596 · bishop
  • Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven
    Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven 1580–1661 · soldier
  • Henry Leslie
    Henry Leslie 1580–1661 · priest
  • John Leslie, 1st Duke of Rothes
    John Leslie, 1st Duke of Rothes 1630–1681 · politician
  • John Leslie, 10th Earl of Rothes
    John Leslie, 10th Earl of Rothes 1698–1767 · army officer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 297 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Leslie,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,719 records

2,719 records of the Leslie name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 829
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 575
  • Other U.S. records 1,315
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Lee C. Leslie

    Born 1913 in Brazil. Enlisted 1940 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; apprentice carpenter. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1980, buried at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Millard F. Leslie

    Born 1923 in Alabama. Enlisted 1943 at Fort McClellan; driver from Jefferson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at Walker Chapel Cemetery, Fultondale, Alabama.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Phillip Willard Leslie

    Born 1947; from Oneida, New York. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; died of wounds 1967 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 2,719 records for Leslie in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia2,248 records

2,248 records of the Leslie name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,206
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 333
  • Other Australian records 709
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Thomas Leslie

    Died 1913 in Green St, Invermay, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1913.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Alfred John Leslie

    Married 1872 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 26. Died 1886 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 39.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Elizabeth Leslie

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Sovereign, arriving 1829; ticket of leave 1832. Native of Quebec America.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 2,248 records for Leslie in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada1,124 records

1,124 records of the Leslie name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 936
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 43
  • Other Canadian records 145
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Mingo Leslie

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the L'Abondance, bound for Port Mattoon, aged 34.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Allean Wilhelmina Leslie

    Died 1975, aged 62; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Kenneth Leslie

    Buried in 1974 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 81.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 1,124 records for Leslie in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom125 records

125 records of the Leslie name in the United Kingdom
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 50
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 38
  • Other British records 37
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record George Leslie

    Born 1865 at Macduff; shoemaker. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jessie Leslie

    Died 1928, aged 71; buried at Kippen Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Emily Leslie

    Will proved in 1941; of Manchester, Lancashire.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 125 records for Leslie in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand54 records

54 records of the Leslie name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 37
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 11
  • Other New Zealand records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frank Leslie

    Died 1913, aged 41; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alan Petrie Leslie

    Died 1979, aged 77; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Leslie

    Buried in 1922 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 65.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 54 records for Leslie in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Belgium18 records

18 records of the Leslie name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Oscar Guillaume Leslie

    Died 1934 in Aalst; born 1867 in Ledeberg.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Aalst (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Georges Leslie

    Died 1909 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Oscar Carolus Leslie

    Born 1899 in Ninove.

    Open Archives, Erfgoedcel Denderland (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Leslie in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands16 records

16 records of the Leslie name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 8
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  • Dutch population registers 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hector Leslie

    Married in 1758 in Breda; grenadier.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Willemina Leslie

    Married in 1636 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 16 records for Leslie in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Ireland9 records

9 records of the Leslie name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Henry Leslie

    Died 1943, aged 38; buried at St Marys, Tuam, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Leslie

    Died 1957; buried at St Thomas, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 9 records for Leslie in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France6 records

6 records of the Leslie name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Desmond Peter Arthur Leslie

    Born 1921 in the United Kingdom; died 2001 in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Angusina Mackinnon Leslie

    Born 1919 in Inverness (Ecosse); died 1999 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Leslie in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Leslie.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Leslie is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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