Unisex name · Old English
Leighton
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: town with a leek gardenLeighton is a gender-neutral name that comes from Old English and means "town with a leek garden". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Town with a leek garden
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #342 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Leighton
As a gender-neutral name, Leighton comes from Old English and means "town with a leek garden". It is used in English.
Leighton is also a surname: the 4,356th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 7,868 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How popular is Leighton?
In 2025, 892 girls and 207 boys in the US were named Leighton.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #342
- 892 babies, 555 per million girls
- Best rank
- #342 in 2025
- 892 babies that year
- Babies since 1956
- At least 12,412
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 0 per million |
| 1980s | 3 per million |
| 1990s | 13 per million |
| 2000s | 50 per million |
| 2010s | 354 per million |
| 2020s | 512 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #430 | #468 | #449 | #420 | #401 | #379 | #376 | #357 | #397 | #342 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #1,057
- 207 babies, 121 per million boys
- Best rank
- #692 in 2019
- 366 babies that year
- Babies since 1893
- At least 9,411
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 18 per million |
| 1900s | 23 per million |
| 1910s | 37 per million |
| 1920s | 40 per million |
| 1930s | 33 per million |
| 1940s | 28 per million |
| 1950s | 19 per million |
| 1960s | 16 per million |
| 1970s | 24 per million |
| 1980s | 30 per million |
| 1990s | 49 per million |
| 2000s | 65 per million |
| 2010s | 130 per million |
| 2020s | 151 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #842 | #903 | #830 | #692 | #743 | #848 | #823 | #968 | #1,044 | #1,057 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names with a similar meaning
- AdrienneFrom Hadria, a Roman town (Latin, girl)
- RoseFragrant garden flower (Latin, girl)
- AinhoaFrom a Basque town with a famous image of the Virgin Mary (Basque, girl)
- AltonTown at a river's source (Old English, boy)
- AshtonAsh tree town (Old English, boy)
- BraxtonFrom a surname meaning Bracca's town (Old English, boy)
- BurtonFortified town (Old English, boy)
- CarmeGarden, orchard (Hebrew, girl)
- CarmelGarden (Hebrew, girl)
- CarmelaGarden (Hebrew, girl)
- CarmenGarden, orchard (Hebrew, girl)
- CarmineGarden (Hebrew, boy)
- ColtonFrom a surname and place name meaning Cola's town (Old English, boy)
- DarbyDeer town (Old Norse, unisex)
- EastonFrom a surname meaning east town (Old English, boy)
Middle names for Leighton
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- EdithRich in war (Old English, girl)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- AudreyNoble strength (Old English, girl)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- OsmundGod protector (Old English, boy)
- OswaldPower of a god (Old English, boy)
- RutherfordCattle ford (Old English, boy)
- StewartSteward (Old English, boy)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
- ÆlfflædElf beauty (Old English, girl)
Leighton: common questions
What does the name Leighton mean?
Leighton comes from Old English and means "town with a leek garden".
Is Leighton a boy or girl name?
Leighton is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 892 girls and 207 boys in the US were named Leighton, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Leighton come from?
Leighton comes from Old English and means "town with a leek garden". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Leighton?
Leighton ranked #342 in the US in 2025, with 892 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Leighton?
Middle names that flow well with Leighton include Beau, Chase, Clark, Hazel and Ivy. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.