Leland

“Son of the servant of Faolán, 'little wolf' in Irish” — Irish Gaelic origin

Boy's name · #494 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Leland was #171 in 1921, slipped to #1341 by 2004, and has climbed back to #494 today. About 58,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Around the world: about 1 in 5,000 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 41 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Lelands

Leland Stanford — American politician and railroad tycoon (1824-1893)
Leland D. Melvin — NASA astronaut and engineer
Leland Orser — American actor
Leland Sklar — American bassist and session musician
Leland Merrill — Olympic wrestler

In stories & tradition

Leland Palmer — Twin Peaks
Leland Stottlemeyer — Monk
Leland McCauley — Adventure Comics

What Lelands become

Among 182 notable people named Leland:

Military figures appear 2.71× more often than among typical names — e.g. Leland Hobbs, United States Army general (1892-1966).

Similar names: Leeland · Grady · Leonard · Ellis · Desmond · Wallace

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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