Meaning and history
Les is an English masculine short form of Leslie and Lester, and occasionally a feminine short form of Leslie. Leslie comes from a Scottish surname and place name, probably Gaelic for a “garden of holly,” while Lester derives from the English city of Leicester. The intended meaning therefore depends on the full name. Notable bearers include American musician Les Paul, born Lester Polsfuss, and British comedian Les Dawson.
20062006: 7 births, rank #9,585
2007: 7 births, rank #9,788
2008: 9 births, rank #8,324
2009: 10 births, rank #7,692
2010: 8 births, rank #8,803
20112011: 11 births, rank #7,009
2012: 5 births, rank #12,274
2013: 7 births, rank #9,655
2014: 8 births, rank #8,781
2015: 10 births, rank #7,491
20162016: 14 births, rank #6,053
2017: 12 births, rank #6,685
2018: 8 births, rank #8,819
2019: 12 births, rank #6,777
2020: 10 births, rank #7,502
20212021: 5 births, rank #12,146
2022: 8 births, rank #8,990
2023: 6 births, rank #10,821
2024: 5 births, rank #12,349
20252025: 11 births, rank #7,194
Les moved from #853 to #915 for boys between 1967 and 1968. Its highest annual birth count came in 1961, with 182 births.