At a glance
- In short
- Less is a male name with American and British English pronunciations.
- U.S. rank 2025
- Not in the 2025 data · last seen 1957 (#3,257)
- Babies in 1957
- 7 (<0.01% of boys)
- Peak
- #699 in 1900
- First recorded
- 1881
Meaning of Less
Less is a male name with American English pronunciation pronounced as LES (/lɛs/) and British English pronunciation pronounced as LESS (/lɛs/). It is a variation of the name Leslie. The name Less has been given to baby boys in the United States since at least 1881. While it has never reached high levels of popularity, it has maintained a consistent presence over the years. In recent decades, it has ranked between the top 3000 and top 4000 most popular names for newborn boys in the US. The origin and associations of the name Less are not explicitly mentioned in the provided information, but it is likely derived from the Scottish surname Leslie, which itself comes from a place name meaning "garden by the pool" in Gaelic.
How to pronounce Less
American English
- Pronounced LES /lɛs/
British English
- Pronounced LESS /lɛs/
Popularity of Less in the U.S.
Less was last recorded in the U.S. in 1957, ranked #3,257 with 7 babies. It peaked at #699 in 1900. It first appears in the records in 1881.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1881–1957 41 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 7 | 3,257 | ▲ 278 |
| 1956 | 6 | 3,535 | back (not recorded in 1955) |
| 1954 | 6 | 3,452 | back (not recorded in 1949–1953) |
| 1948 | 6 | 3,316 | ▲ 417 |
| 1947 | 5 | 3,733 | back (not recorded in 1941–1946) |
| 1940 | 5 | 3,459 | ▲ 21 |
| 1939 | 5 | 3,480 | ▼ 305 |
| 1938 | 6 | 3,175 | – |
| 1937 | 6 | 3,175 | back (not recorded in 1936) |
| 1935 | 5 | 3,645 | back (not recorded in 1934) |
| 1933 | 5 | 3,642 | ▲ 134 |
| 1932 | 5 | 3,776 | ▼ 13 |
| 1931 | 5 | 3,763 | ▼ 741 |
| 1930 | 8 | 3,022 | ▲ 537 |
| 1929 | 6 | 3,559 | back (not recorded in 1927–1928) |
| 1926 | 6 | 3,708 | ▼ 553 |
| 1925 | 8 | 3,155 | ▲ 105 |
| 1924 | 8 | 3,260 | ▼ 1,036 |
| 1923 | 14 | 2,224 | back (not recorded in 1922) |
| 1921 | 6 | 3,869 | ▼ 380 |
| 1920 | 7 | 3,489 | ▼ 1,224 |
| 1919 | 13 | 2,265 | ▲ 1,103 |
| 1918 | 7 | 3,368 | ▼ 636 |
| 1917 | 9 | 2,732 | ▲ 445 |
| 1916 | 7 | 3,177 | ▼ 867 |
| 1915 | 11 | 2,310 | ▲ 147 |
| 1914 | 8 | 2,457 | ▼ 365 |
| 1913 | 8 | 2,092 | ▼ 47 |
| 1912 | 7 | 2,045 | back (not recorded in 1911) |
| 1910 | 5 | 1,589 | back (not recorded in 1908–1909) |
| 1907 | 7 | 1,094 | ▲ 159 |
| 1906 | 5 | 1,253 | ▼ 20 |
| 1905 | 5 | 1,233 | ▼ 169 |
| 1904 | 6 | 1,064 | ▼ 330 |
| 1903 | 10 | 734 | back (not recorded in 1901–1902) |
| 1900 | 13 | 699 | back (not recorded in 1898–1899) |
| 1897 | 5 | 1,057 | back (not recorded in 1896) |
| 1895 | 5 | 1,079 | back (not recorded in 1890–1894) |
| 1889 | 5 | 974 | back (not recorded in 1885–1888) |
| 1884 | 5 | 971 | back (not recorded in 1882–1883) |
| 1881 | 5 | 866 | new |
Notable people named Less
- Less Browne is an American former football defensive back who played in the United States Football League and Canadian Football League.