How Many People Are Named Leighton?
An estimated 19,165 people in the United States have the first name Leighton. It is used for both genders, with 55.6% female. The average bearer is 16 years old, and Leighton peaked in popularity in 2022 with 1,144 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Leighton as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Leighton paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Leighton has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
- Leighton is a genuinely unisex name, given to both boys and girls in roughly equal numbers.
- Leighton is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 16, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
19,165
About 1 in 17,884 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
55.6% confidence
Average Age
16
years old
Peak Year
2022
1,144 births
Total Registered
20,720
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Leighton
Leighton is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (44.4%) and females (55.6%). Out of 20,720 total births registered, 9,201 were male and 11,519 were female.
Leighton as a male name
Ranked #1,039 in 2024
213 male births in 2024
Peak: 2019 (366 births)
Leighton as a female name
Ranked #395 in 2024
797 female births in 2024
Peak: 2023 (853 births)
Leighton: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Leighton span from the 1890s to the 2020s, covering 14 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 8,648 babies were registered. While Leighton is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Leighton by Decade
How has Leighton tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Leighton by State
Birth registrations for Leighton span all 45 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Florida. The lowest are in New Mexico, New Hampshire, Nevada. On average, about 333 Leightons were registered per state.
Leighton + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Leighton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Leighton
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
Leighton: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leighton?
We estimate approximately 19,165 people named Leighton are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 17,884 Americans share this first name.
Is Leighton a common name?
Leighton is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 20,720 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Leighton most popular?
Leighton reached peak popularity in 2022, when 1,144 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Leighton is approximately 16 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Leighton a female name?
Leighton is predominantly female. 55.6% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Leighton Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Leighton Smith, Leighton Johnson, Leighton Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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