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HelpLeslie
I've been thinking of this name because I am currently writing an essay for school about a fake client named Leslie. As much as Leslie is a bit "era dated".. I quite like it. I think it has a balance of pretty and cuteness to it. Scrappy, feminine strength in a girl-next-door kind of way. It gives me a similar vibe that Lola does, but less sexual in comparison to Lola.
What do you think of Leslie? Do you think it is still usable, or needs to sit on the shelf a bit longer? What kind of person do you imagine with it?
Please rate my "Names I would Use" list & "Backup Favorites" list. Feel free to rate some of my other lists too if you have the time.
https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/223226/138473
What do you think of Leslie? Do you think it is still usable, or needs to sit on the shelf a bit longer? What kind of person do you imagine with it?
Please rate my "Names I would Use" list & "Backup Favorites" list. Feel free to rate some of my other lists too if you have the time.
https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/223226/138473
This message was edited 3/30/2024, 1:29 PM
Replies
As Anneza says, Leslie was male and Lesley female in the UK. The British name expert Leslie Dunkling, who is still alive at age 88, is definitely a man. I remember he once wrote that he really disliked it when people misspelled his name as Lesley because they were "changing his sex."
The spelling difference by gender never developed in the USA, and since the actress Leslie Caron became famous in the 1950s most Americans have probably seen Leslie as being more "feminine" than masculine, though there certainly are many men in the USA named Leslie born before 1960, as you can see from the popularity chart on this site.
The last two or three decades Leslie has been particularly common for girls in the Hispanic community in the USA, perhaps because its spelling yields about the same pronunciation in Spanish as in English and so is attractive to parents whose children will be growing up in a bilingual Spanish-English environment.
The spelling difference by gender never developed in the USA, and since the actress Leslie Caron became famous in the 1950s most Americans have probably seen Leslie as being more "feminine" than masculine, though there certainly are many men in the USA named Leslie born before 1960, as you can see from the popularity chart on this site.
The last two or three decades Leslie has been particularly common for girls in the Hispanic community in the USA, perhaps because its spelling yields about the same pronunciation in Spanish as in English and so is attractive to parents whose children will be growing up in a bilingual Spanish-English environment.
That's interesting. In British English, Leslie was the male and Lesley the female form. It does seem dated: can't remember when last I met one. Our neighbours, when I was a kid, were a husband, Leslie, and wife, Gladys. The children were Stephen Leslie and Janice Lesley.
I've never met a male Leslie in my life
I could see it for a pet but I don't like it on a person.
When I see the name Leslie I think masculine name and the character/real person Leslie Durrell (early 20th century). It sounds refreshing and with its modern sound it fits among todays popular names. Although I think Leslie is a true androgynous name, I only like it as boys name.
I can picture a Southern girl named Leslie (Leslie being her grandmother’s maiden name). Shy, kind to animals, loves her dog (a rescue), little sister and grandmother but not so much her own mother (dominant). She wants to become an (equine?) veterinarian.
I can picture a Southern girl named Leslie (Leslie being her grandmother’s maiden name). Shy, kind to animals, loves her dog (a rescue), little sister and grandmother but not so much her own mother (dominant). She wants to become an (equine?) veterinarian.
Interesting! I would never think to compare Leslie to Lola—Leslie seems more pedestrian and staid. It’s not a name I think about ever, though it’s preferable to many “-lie” names.