ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1938 First Year 2026 Last Year 2026 Peak Year #1113 Peak Rank 2K Total Count 66 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Leni What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Leni is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni%5F%28name%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * German 📖 ## The Story of Leni American parents first put Leni on the record books as a baby girl name in 1938, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2026, when 218 Lenis were born — ranking #1,113 that year. The 2020s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 54% of all recorded Lenis. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #1,113 among baby girl names with 218 births, rising sharply (+109% over the past five years). In total, more than 2K Lenis have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1930s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## 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 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Leni Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Leni. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Alena](/alena) * [Elena](/elena) * [Ella](/ella) * [Ellen](/ellen) * [Helena](/helena) * [Helene](/helene) * [Hella](/hella) * [Ilona](/ilona) * [Lena](/lena) * [Lene](/lene) * [Magda](/magda) * [Magdalena](/magdalena) * [Magdalene](/magdalene) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Leni Phonetically similar names — useful when Leni is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Lini * [Leany](/leany) * [Lina](/lina) * [Lena](/lena) * [Lenny](/lenny) * [Loney](/loney) * [Lennie](/lennie) * [Leno](/leno) * [Laney](/laney) * [Lani](/lani) * [Lino](/lino) * [Leena](/leena) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Leni What does the name Leni mean? Leni is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: What is the origin of the name Leni? Leni has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: German. How popular is Leni in 2026? In 2026, Leni ranks #1,113 among girls' names in the U.S., with 218 babies given the name that year. When was Leni most popular? Leni reached its peak popularity in 2026, ranking #1,113 that year with 218 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Leni most popular? Leni has historically been most popular in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Leni. Is Leni a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Leni is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Leni? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Leni include Lezlie, Tammera, Brienne. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Leni? Common variants and related forms of Leni include Alena, Elena, Ella, Ellen, Helena, Helene. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧LezliePeak #1113](/lezlie)[👧TammeraPeak #1113](/tammera)[👧BriennePeak #1113](/brienne)[👧CloraPeak #1114](/clora)[👧ZettiePeak #1114](/zettie)[👧JaninaPeak #1114](/janina)[👧AlanePeak #1112](/alane)[👧KelceyPeak #1112](/kelcey) ## About the name Leni Leni is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1938 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Leni's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #1,113\. Use the chart and map above to compare Leni's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "L" → ](/letter/l) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.