Fun Facts About the Name Leif
- More than 9 thousand babies named Leif: U.S. records list 9,999 babies given the name Leif from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Leif - about 1 girl for every 1,999 boys.
What Does the Name Leif Mean?
Leif is a Scandinavian name that comes from the Old Norse Leifr. It belongs to the family of Norse names built on the element -leifr, which descends from an older word for "something left over" or "remnant." From that sense of what remains behind - an inheritance or a legacy - the element took on the meaning "heir" or "descendant." The same element appears in longer Norse names such as Áleifr and Óleifr, the source of the later name Olaf, where it is joined to a word for "ancestor" to give "ancestor's heir." Leifr is generally treated as a short name drawn from that -leifr tradition rather than a compound in its own right, which is why its meaning is usually given simply as "heir" or "descendant."
Leif Name History & Origins
The name is recorded in medieval Scandinavia in the Old Norse form Leifr. Its best-known bearer is Leifr Eiríksson, the son of Erik the Red, who established a Norse settlement in Greenland. According to two Icelandic sagas, Eiríks saga rauða and Grænlendinga saga, he sailed west from Greenland around the year 1000 and reached a land he named Vinland, generally identified with part of North America. Both sagas were written down in the thirteenth century, long after the voyages they describe, so they preserve a traditional account rather than a contemporary record of the events.
The name remained in use in Iceland and Norway, and it traveled to other countries with Scandinavian migration. In the United States, October 9 is observed as Leif Erikson Day in connection with Norse exploration. In the English-speaking world the name is usually known through the story of Leif Erikson, while in the Nordic countries it has simply continued as an ordinary given name with a long history.
How Popular is the Name Leif?
Leif recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #638 in 1979.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | #11,328 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #917 | 257 | 0.0150% |
| 2024 | #925 | 250 | 0.0146% |
| 2023 | #859 | 279 | 0.0163% |
| 2022 | #840 | 290 | 0.0166% |
| 2021 | #995 | 221 | 0.0126% |
| 2020 | #913 | 245 | 0.0142% |
| 2019 | #1,015 | 205 | 0.0114% |
| 2018 | #1,003 | 207 | 0.0114% |
| 2017 | #956 | 218 | 0.0118% |
| 2016 | #966 | 214 | 0.0113% |
| 2015 | #1,063 | 187 | 0.0098% |
| 2014 | #1,007 | 205 | 0.0107% |
| 2013 | #1,006 | 195 | 0.0103% |
| 2012 | #1,063 | 179 | 0.0094% |
| 2011 | #1,029 | 185 | 0.0097% |
| 2010 | #1,093 | 176 | 0.0092% |
| 2009 | #1,068 | 175 | 0.0088% |
| 2008 | #1,246 | 140 | 0.0069% |
| 2007 | #1,329 | 128 | 0.0062% |
| 2006 | #1,245 | 135 | 0.0066% |
| 2005 | #1,087 | 152 | 0.0076% |
| 2004 | #1,307 | 114 | 0.0057% |
| 2003 | #1,116 | 138 | 0.0070% |
| 2002 | #1,322 | 101 | 0.0052% |
| 2001 | #1,155 | 120 | 0.0062% |
| 2000 | #1,118 | 126 | 0.0064% |
| 1999 | #1,154 | 114 | 0.0059% |
| 1998 | #1,310 | 91 | 0.0048% |
| 1997 | #1,371 | 81 | 0.0043% |
| 1996 | #1,252 | 89 | 0.0047% |
| 1995 | #1,309 | 81 | 0.0043% |
| 1994 | #1,279 | 84 | 0.0043% |
| 1993 | #1,317 | 75 | 0.0038% |
| 1992 | #1,278 | 79 | 0.0040% |
| 1991 | #1,115 | 97 | 0.0048% |
| 1990 | #1,169 | 87 | 0.0042% |
| 1989 | #1,192 | 81 | 0.0040% |
| 1988 | #1,009 | 94 | 0.0049% |
| 1987 | #957 | 97 | 0.0052% |
| 1986 | #855 | 113 | 0.0061% |
| 1985 | #864 | 110 | 0.0060% |
| 1984 | #829 | 112 | 0.0062% |
| 1983 | #740 | 136 | 0.0076% |
| 1982 | #680 | 164 | 0.0090% |
| 1981 | #699 | 154 | 0.0086% |
| 1980 | #664 | 169 | 0.0095% |
| 1979 | #638 | 181 | 0.0105% |
| 1978 | #758 | 124 | 0.0076% |
| 1977 | #947 | 82 | 0.0050% |
| 1976 | #881 | 90 | 0.0057% |
| 1975 | #799 | 109 | 0.0070% |
| 1974 | #818 | 97 | 0.0062% |
| 1973 | #814 | 95 | 0.0061% |
| 1972 | #764 | 109 | 0.0067% |
| 1971 | #769 | 114 | 0.0064% |
| 1970 | #654 | 157 | 0.0084% |
| 1969 | #681 | 135 | 0.0075% |
| 1968 | #739 | 102 | 0.0059% |
| 1967 | #755 | 96 | 0.0055% |
| 1966 | #858 | 72 | 0.0040% |
| 1965 | #810 | 83 | 0.0045% |
| 1964 | #852 | 80 | 0.0040% |
| 1963 | #819 | 86 | 0.0042% |
| 1962 | #865 | 77 | 0.0037% |
| 1961 | #872 | 77 | 0.0036% |
| 1960 | #863 | 78 | 0.0037% |
| 1959 | #989 | 61 | 0.0029% |
| 1958 | #1,109 | 48 | 0.0023% |
| 1957 | #1,000 | 58 | 0.0027% |
| 1956 | #1,149 | 44 | 0.0021% |
| 1955 | #1,145 | 43 | 0.0021% |
| 1954 | #1,108 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 1953 | #1,084 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 1952 | #1,285 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 1951 | #1,710 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1950 | #1,136 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1949 | #1,155 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1948 | #1,540 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1947 | #1,681 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1946 | #1,624 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1945 | #1,668 | 17 | 0.0013% |
| 1944 | #2,044 | 13 | 0.0010% |
| 1943 | #1,802 | 17 | 0.0012% |
| 1942 | #1,710 | 18 | 0.0013% |
| 1941 | #2,051 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1940 | #1,770 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1939 | #1,560 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1938 | #2,047 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1937 | #2,048 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1936 | #2,754 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1935 | #3,129 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1934 | #2,853 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1933 | #3,161 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1932 | #2,263 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1931 | #2,057 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1930 | #2,706 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1929 | #2,058 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1928 | #2,219 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1927 | #2,820 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1926 | #2,035 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1925 | #2,138 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1924 | #2,755 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1923 | #2,534 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1922 | #2,297 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1921 | #2,445 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1920 | #4,072 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1919 | #1,732 | 20 | 0.0020% |
| 1918 | #1,865 | 18 | 0.0018% |
| 1917 | #1,868 | 17 | 0.0018% |
| 1916 | #1,816 | 17 | 0.0019% |
| 1915 | #1,535 | 21 | 0.0025% |
| 1914 | #1,733 | 14 | 0.0021% |
| 1913 | #1,550 | 13 | 0.0025% |
| 1912 | #2,154 | 7 | 0.0016% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Leif Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You always bring to completion anything you start. You are generous but like to see returns from your giving. You have an executive ability, you are a leader. You are moral, balanced, honest and intellectual, and you may attain spirituality. You are wise and practical with an appreciation of beauty. You always think before you act. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Leif's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Leif's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.