Meaning & History
Leslie is a unisex given name and surname of Scottish origin, derived from the name of a place in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The place name likely comes from the Gaelic leas celyn, meaning "garden of holly." It is also the name of the Scottish Clan Leslie, whose members historically bore the surname. As a given name, Leslie has been used since the 19th century, initially as a masculine name. In the United Kingdom, the spelling Leslie is traditionally associated with boys, while the variant Lesly or Lesley is preferred for girls. However, in the United States, Leslie became more common as a feminine name after the 1940s.
Beyond its Gaelic roots, Leslie is also used as an anglicization of the male name Ladislaus or its Hungarian variant László. This Slavic-derived name combines elements meaning "rule" and "glory." Besides Lesly, other variants include Lesleigh, while diminutives include Les and Lessie.
- Meaning: Garden of holly (Gaelic); also associated with rule and glory (Slavic origins)
- Origin: Scottish place name, Gaelic
- Type: Feminine (primarily in US after 1940s); also masculine
- Usage regions: English-speaking countries, especially United Kingdom and United States