Girl's name
Leni
Say it LAY-nee
2 syllables
Where Leni is loved, common and rare
Loved in Cologne and one more place. Common across four other German cities, Austria and Israel. Rare in Switzerland, Slovenia, the UK and three more places.
1 in 1,214 girls born in Northern Ireland in 2025
Cologne 10thBerlin 37thMunich 51st
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 16 of the 40 official lists, among them Cologne (10th), Berlin (37th) and Munich (51st).
Show all 16 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cologne city | 10th 2023 | 45 | about 1 in 137 |
| Berlin city | 37th 2023 | 70 | about 1 in 207 |
| Munich city | 51st 2025 | 24 | about 1 in 175 |
| Austria | 60th 2025 | 136 | 1 in 263 |
| Israel לני | 83rd 2024 | 239 | about 1 in 328 |
| Switzerland | 110th 2025 | 65 | 1 in 523 |
| Slovenia | 204th 2025 | 6 | about 1 in 1,102 |
| Northern Ireland | 259th 2025 | 6 | 1 in 1,214 |
| Scotland | 474th 2025 | 6 | 1 in 2,982 |
| Italy | 485th 2024 | 26 | 1 in 6,891 |
| England and Wales | 514th 2025 | 78 | 1 in 3,247 |
| Ireland | 718th 2025 | 4 | 1 in 5,282 |
| Ontario province | 742nd 2024 | 16 | about 1 in 3,404 |
| Rostock city | 4th 2025 | 12 | about 1 in 82 |
| Bonn city | 22nd 2025 | 17 | about 1 in 177 |
| Leipzig city | 26th 2025 | 14 | about 1 in 187 |
Rare, below the listed names: Quebec, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Catalonia, Poland and Hungary.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Israel publishes names in Hebrew script. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) (Israel); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Statistični urad Republike Slovenije (SURS), SiStat (Slovenia); NISRA (Northern Ireland); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
Leni is a short, light name used across several European countries and in parts of the English-speaking world.
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Two syllables, said LAY-nee, with the stress on the first. Léni is an accented spelling, and Lenie, Leny and Lennie are similar forms.
It is most popular in the German-speaking world, ranking among the top 60 in Austria and also well placed in Switzerland, and it is also used in Slovenia. In English-speaking countries it appears in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England and Wales. French records show a peak around 2008, and it is rising in more regions than it is falling.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- LAY-nee, 2 syllables
- Other spellings
- Reni
- Lani
- Lennie
- Leny
- Lenie
- Ellina
Counted together here: Léni.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 7 of 14 regions, falling in 3.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 1327 | 1628 | 1272 | 1703 | 1200 | 860 | 857 | 425 | 478 | 514 |
| Scotland | 540 | 638 | 474 | |||||||
| Northern Ireland | 298 | 302 | 288 | 259 | ||||||
| Ireland | 883 | 905 | 625 | 412 | 718 | |||||
| Ontario | 996 | 812 | 1037 | 836 | 591 | 476 | 1057 | 742 | ||
| British Columbia | 637 | 352 | 646 | |||||||
| South Australia | 230 | 395 | ||||||||
| Quebec | 630 | |||||||||
| France | 3683 | 3622 | 3591 | 3634 | 3605 | 3608 | 3650 | 3521 | 3443 | |
| Austria | 81 | 74 | 70 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 57 | 51 | 40 | 60 |
| Switzerland | 208 | 160 | 149 | 213 | 155 | 95 | 92 | 138 | 106 | 110 |
| Berlin | 54 | 30 | 27 | 23 | 35 | 21 | 17 | 37 | ||
| Munich | 40 | 40 | 43 | 41 | 34 | 39 | 57 | 36 | 35 | 51 |
| Cologne | 28 | 21 | 21 | 15 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 10 | ||
| Bonn | 25 | 33 | 20 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 22 |
| Leipzig | 26 | 30 | 19 | 31 | 12 | 17 | 11 | 22 | 5 | 26 |
| Rostock | 17 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 4 |
| Norway | 469 | 481 | 503 | 386 | 460 | 467 | 377 | |||
| Italy | 911 | 551 | 593 | 617 | 485 | |||||
| Slovenia | 239 | 180 | 227 | 174 | 168 | 204 | ||||
| Israel | 138 | 124 | 111 | 90 | 72 | 66 | 69 | 77 | 83 |
England and Wales, 2004 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 514 | 78 | 30.8 |
| 2024 | 478 | 85 | 32.9 |
| 2023 | 425 | 96 | 37.4 |
| 2022 | 857 | 41 | 15.6 |
| 2021 | 860 | 41 | 15.0 |
| 2020 | 1200 | 27 | 10.1 |
| 2019 | 1703 | 17 | 6.1 |
| 2018 | 1272 | 26 | 9.0 |
| 2017 | 1628 | 19 | 6.4 |
| 2016 | 1327 | 25 | 8.1 |
| 2015 | 1549 | 20 | 6.5 |
| 2014 | 1501 | 20 | 6.5 |
| 2013 | 1587 | 19 | 6.2 |
| 2012 | 1720 | 17 | 5.3 |
| 2011 | 2150 | 12 | 3.7 |
| 2010 | 1389 | 22 | 6.9 |
| 2009 | 1596 | 17 | 5.4 |
| 2008 | 1815 | 14 | 4.4 |
| 2007 | 2895 | 7 | 2.3 |
| 2006 | 1748 | 13 | 4.3 |
| 2005 | 2247 | 9 | 3.1 |
| 2004 | 3725 | 4 | 1.4 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Leni in France since 1925 were born in or after 2012. First recorded in 1986. Her peak year there: 2008, at 3.9 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Leni per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2008 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Leni
1 in 3,578 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Leni.
1 in 4,225 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Leni.
1 in 2,638 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Leni.
1 in 4,225 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Leni.
1 in 2,429 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Leni.
1 in 1,064 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Leni.
1 in 1,835 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Leni.
1 in 3,166 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Leni.
1 in 1,689 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Leni. Same first letter as Leni.
1 in 1,408 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Leni.
Middle names for Leni
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Leni Grace
2-1 beats · initials LG
Changes the beat after Leni: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Leni Olivia
2-4 beats · initials LO · Leni slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Leni: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Leni slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Leni Sophia
2-3 beats · initials LS
Changes the beat after Leni: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Leni Maria
2-3 beats · initials LM
Changes the beat after Leni: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Leni Rose
2-1 beats · initials LR
Changes the beat after Leni: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Leni Emily
2-3 beats · initials LE · Leni slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Leni: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Leni slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Leni Julia
2-3 beats · initials LJ
Changes the beat after Leni: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Leni Miriam
2-3 beats · initials LM
Changes the beat after Leni: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Leni
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 2,638 in England and Wales
78% alike: moves with Leni across countries and decades.
1 in 2,429 in Northern Ireland
77% alike: moves with Leni across countries and decades.
1 in 1,408 in Ireland
77% alike: moves with Leni across countries and decades.
1 in 743 in England and Wales
77% alike: moves with Leni across countries and decades.
1 in 3,166 in England and Wales
75% alike: moves with Leni across countries and decades.
1 in 1,218 in England and Wales
75% alike: moves with Leni across countries and decades.
1 in 1,689 in England and Wales
75% alike: moves with Leni across countries and decades.
1 in 1,112 in Ireland
75% alike: moves with Leni across countries and decades.
Questions about Leni
4 questions, on how popular she is, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Leni?
Her best rank is No. 60 in Austria in 2025, about 1 in 263 girls. She is in the published lists of 16 of our 40 regions.
How do you pronounce Leni?
LAY-nee, with 2 syllables.
Is Leni getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 7 of 14 regions, falling in 3.
Which sister names go with Leni?
The deck's top five sisters for Leni: Elina, Sofija, Aylin, Nika and Mina. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.