Unisex · #4,067 in 2026

Leary

Current Rank
#4,067
Peak Rank
#2,566 (1926)
Total Babies
194
5-Yr Trend
Stable
👧 Girl peak #2,634 (16 total)
👦 Boy peak #2,566 (194 total)
👦As Boy Name
1919
First Year
1961
Last Year
1926
Peak Year
#2566
Peak Rank
194
Total Count
29
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
1912
First Year
1924
Last Year
1912
Peak Year
#2634
Peak Rank
16
Total Count
3
Years Active

The Story of Leary

As a girl name

Leary first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1912, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1912: 6 births, good for #2,634 nationwide. About 63% of every Leary on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Leary last appeared in the published SSA data in 1924, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 16 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

Leary first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1919, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1926: 11 births, good for #2,566 nationwide. About 31% of every Leary on record arrived during the 1940s, its defining decade. Leary last appeared in the published SSA data in 1961, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 194 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Leary

Phonetically similar names — useful when Leary is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Leary

What does the name Leary mean?
Leary is a boy's name that has been used in U.S. records since 1919. Behind the Name doesn't list a specific etymology, but the name has remained in use across multiple decades.
How popular is Leary in 2026?
In 2026, Leary ranks #4,067 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Leary most popular?
Leary reached its peak popularity in 1926, ranking #2,566 that year with 11 babies given the name.
Is Leary a unisex name?
Yes — Leary is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 8% of Learys assigned female and 92% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Leary?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Leary include Abb, Genie, Sadie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Leary

Leary is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1919 and has accumulated 194 births in the dataset. Leary's peak popularity came in 1926 when it ranked #2,566. Use the chart and map above to compare Leary's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.