Leslie (name) explained
Leslie |
Pronunciation: | or |
Gender: | Unisex (Male/Female) |
Derivation: | from a placename |
Meaning: | "Holly garden", "Glorious ruler" |
Region: | Scotland, Central and Eastern Europe |
Language origin: | Scottish Gaelic, Hungarian, Slavic languages |
Alternative Spelling: | Lesley (for females) |
Leslie is a surname and given name, derived from the name of Clan Leslie. The name may also be spelled Lesley. The name derives from a placename in Aberdeenshire,[1] perhaps an anglicisation of an originally Gaelic Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: leas celyn "holly-garden".[2] Leslie is also frequently used as an anglicization of the male name Ladislaus, or its variant László.[3] [4] In this context, the name is derived from Slavic elements, with 'vladeti' meaning 'rule' and 'slava' meaning 'glory'.[5] In the United Kingdom, the name is spelled Leslie when given to boys, while for girls it is usually rendered as Lesley.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
Given name
Female
- Leslie (singer) (born 1985), French pop-R&B singer
- Leslie Cohen Berlowitz (1944–2020), American academic
- Leslie Bibb (born 1974), American actress
- Leslie Caron (born 1931), French actress
- Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, American puppeteer, also known as Abby Cadabby, on Sesame Street
- Leslie Carter (1986–2012), American pop/rock singer
- Mrs. Leslie Carter (1857–1937), American stage actress
- Leslie Cheng, American mathematician
- Leslie Erganian, American artist
- Leslie Feist (born 1976), Canadian singer
- Leslie Fish, American musician and songwriter
- Lesley Gore (1946–2015), American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist
- Leslie Graves (1959–1995), American actress
- Leslie Herson (1942–2008), American businesswoman and artist
- Leslie Hogben, American mathematician
- Annette "Leslie" Jones (born 1967), American comedian and actress
- Leslie Ann Jones, American recording engineer
- Leslie Liao, American comedian
- Leslie Mahaffy (1976–1991), Canadian homicide victim
- Leslie Mann (born 1972), American actress
- Lesley Manville (born 1956), English actress
- Leslie Marshall (journalist), American journalist
- Leslie Marshall (writer), American novelist, magazine editor and journalist
- Leslie "Sam" Phillips (born 1962), American singer and songwriter
- Leslie Pope (1954–2020), American set decorator
- Lesley Stahl (born 1941), American television journalist
- Lesley Sharp (born 1960), English stage, film, and television actress
- Leslie Silva (born 1968), American actress
- Leslie Crocker Snyder (born 1942), American lawyer and former judge
- Leslie Uggams (born 1943), American actress
- Leslie Van Houten (born 1949), American murderer and member of the Manson Family
- Lesley Ann Warren (born 1946), American actress
Male
- Les Aspin (1938–1995), American politician
- Leslie Banks (1890–1952), English actor
- Leslie Benzies (born 1971), Scottish video game producer and former president of Rockstar North
- Leslie Bohem (born 1951), screenwriter who wrote Dante's Peak and Taken, among others
- Leslie Cauchi, backup singer with The Del-Satins and Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge
- Leslie Charteris (1907–1993), half-Chinese, half-English author of primarily mystery fiction
- Leslie Cheung (1956–2003), Hong Kong actor-singer
- Leslie Edward "Les" Claypool (born 1963), lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus
- Leslie Cochran (1951–2012), vagrant cross-dresser of Austin, Texas
- Leslie Claudius (1927–2012), Indian Olympic hockey player
- Leslie Crowther (1933–1996), English comedian and TV presenter
- Leslie Duncan (1880–1952), Australian journalist and politician
- Leslie J. Edhlund (1911–1994), American mechanical engineer and politician
- Les Ferdinand (born 1966), English footballer
- Leslie Frazier (born 1959), American NFL head coach and former player
- Les Gleadell (1921–2009), Falkland Islands civil servant
- Leslie Grade (1916–1979), born Laszlo Winogradsky, British theatrical talent agent
- Leslie Groves (1896–1970), American general in command of the Manhattan Project
- Leslie Groves (cricketer) (1911–1990), New Zealand cricketer
- Leslie Hardman (1919–2008), Orthodox rabbi, British Army chaplain at Bergen-Belsen
- Leslie Bob Hope (1903–2003), born Leslie Townes Hope, British-born American actor-comedian
- Leslie Howard (actor) (1893–1943), British actor
- Leslie Howard (musician) (born 1948), Australian pianist and composer
- Leslie Mervyn Jayaratne, Sri Lankan Sinhala judge, author, 2nd Governor of Southern Province, Sri Lanka
- Leslie Peter Johnson (1930–2016), English philologist
- Leslie Jones (disambiguation), several people
- Leslie Jordan (1955–2022), American actor
- Leslie Lamport (born 1941), American computer scientist
- Les Locke (1934 – c. 1996), Scottish footballer with Queens Park Rangers
- Leslie Khoo Kwee Hock, Singaporean convicted murderer and life convict
- Leslie Lynch King, Jr. (1913–2006), birth name of 38th U.S. President Gerald Ford
- Leslie Manigat (1930–2014), President of Haiti
- Les Miles (born 1953), American college football coach and former player
- Leslie Miller (disambiguation), several people
- Les Mills (born 1934), New Zealand track and field athlete and politician
- Leslie Moonves (born 1949), President and CEO of CBS
- Leslie Nielsen (1926–2010), Canadian-American actor and comedian
- Leslie Odom Jr. (born 1981), American actor and singer
- Leslie O'Neal (born 1964), American football player
- Leslie Parnas (1931–2022), American musician
- Leslie Phillips (1924–2022), English actor
- Leslie Pridgen (born 1978), American rapper who goes by the name of Freeway
- Leslie E. Robertson (1928–2021), American engineer
- Leslie Sears (1901–1992), English cricketer
- Leslie Stephen (1832–1904), English author and critic
- Leslie Thomas (1931–2014), British author
- Leslie Valiant (born 1949), British computer scientist
- Leslie L. Westin (1917–1985), American businessman, educator, and politician
- Leslie West (1945–2020), American musician
- Les Wexner (born 1937), American businessman, founder of L Brands
- Leslie D. Zettergren (born 1943), American biomedical researcher
- Leslie Patrick Bailey (1953–1993), British serial killer and member of the 'Dirty Dozen'
- Leslie Mándoki (born 1953), German-Hungarian singer
Surname
- Alan M. Leslie, Scottish psychologist
- Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross (died 1402)
- Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (c. 1580 – 1661)
- Alexander Leslie of Auchintoul (died 1663)
- Andrew Leslie (Canadian Army officer) (born 1957), Canadian Forces general and politician
- Andrew Leslie (shipbuilder) (1818–?), Scottish shipbuilder
- Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes (died 1611), Scottish nobleman
- Ann Leslie (1941–2023), British journalist
- Austin Leslie (1934–2005), New Orleans chef
- Bethel Leslie (1929–1999), American actress and screenwriter
- Cameron Leslie (born 1990), New Zealand paralympics gold medal winner
- Charles Leslie (nonjuror) (1650–1722), British Jacobite nonjuror and controversialist
- Charles Leslie (priest) (1718–1781), Irish Anglican priest
- Charles Robert Leslie (1794–1859), American genre painter
- Chris Leslie (born 1972), British Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for Shipley and for Nottingham East
- Chris Leslie (musician) (born 1956), English electric folk musician
- Conor Leslie (born 1991), American actress
- Cory Leslie (born 1989), American steeplechase runner
- David Leslie, 1st Lord Newark (c. 1600–1682), Scottish Civil War general
- David Leslie (Oregon politician) (c. 1797–1869), American missionary and pioneer in Oregon
- David Leslie (racing driver) (1953–2008), Scottish Touring Car racing driver
- Delroy Leslie (born 1970), Jamaican boxer
- Desmond Leslie (1921–2001), Irish writer and film-maker
- Donald Leslie, (1911–2004), American musician, created and manufactured the Leslie speaker
- Edgar Leslie (1885–1976), American songwriter, lyricist, charter member of ASCAP
- Edward Leslie (born 1957), American professional wrestler
- Frank Leslie (1821–80), English-American publisher of Frank Leslie's Weekly
- Frank Leslie (Medal of Honor), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient
- Franklyn Leslie (c. 1848 – c. 1930), Western gunfighter
- Frederick W. Leslie (born 1951), NASA payload specialist
- George Dunlop Leslie (1835–1921), English artist
- George Leonidas Leslie (1842–1878), American bank robber and architect
- Henry David Leslie (1822–1896), English composer and conductor
- Javicia Leslie, (born 1987), American actress
- Jim Leslie (journalist) (1937–1976), American public relations executive
- Jim Leslie (businessman) (1922–2012), Australian businessman
- Joan Leslie (1925–2015), American actress
- John Leslie (disambiguation), several people
- Jordan Leslie (born 1991), American football player
- Lawrie Leslie (1935–2019), Scottish footballer
- Lew Leslie (1886–1963), Broadway producer
- Lisa Leslie (born 1972), American basketball player
- Martin Leslie (Australian footballer) (born 1962), Australian rules footballer
- Martin Leslie (rugby union) (born 1971), New Zealand rugby union player
- May Sybil Leslie (1887–1937), British chemist
- Megan Leslie, a Member of Parliament in the riding of Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Melanie Leslie, dean of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
- Michael Leslie (born 1993), Scottish snooker player
- Michael Leslie (dancer), Indigenous Australian dancer and choreographer
- Miriam Leslie (1828–1914), American publisher, author, and suffragist, wife of Frank Leslie
- Patrick Leslie (1815–1881), early settler in Australia
- Preston Leslie (1819–1907), governor of Kentucky (1871–75)
- R. Conrad Leslie, American businessman
- Rose Leslie (born 1987), Scottish actress
- Ryan Leslie (born 1978), American record producer and singer
- Shane Leslie, Sir John Randolph Leslie, 3rd Baronet (1885–1971)
- Sheila Leslie (born 1955), American politician
- Stefan Leslie (born 1987), Canadian soccer player
- Steve Leslie (footballer, born 1976), Scottish footballer
- Steve Leslie (footballer, born 1987), Scottish footballer
- Thomas Edward Cliffe Leslie (1825–1882), Irish economist
- Walter Leslie, Lord of Ross (died 1382)
- Walter Leslie (field marshal) (1607–1667), Imperial field marshal
- William Leslie (disambiguation) or Bill Leslie, several people
Fictional characters
- Leslie Burke, the female protagonist of the Katherine Paterson novel Bridge to Terabithia
- Leslie Crambottom, a character In the American sitcom Silver Spoons
- Leslie Lynnton, the socialite played by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1956 film Giant
- Lieutenant Leslie, a character from Star Trek, played by Eddie Paskey (spelled Lesley in the show's credits, but has come to be written more often as Leslie by the fandom)
- Leslie "Jake" Ryan (Hannah Montana), a recurring character on the Disney Channel program Hannah Montana, played by Cody Linley
- Leslie Chow, Chinese character in The Hangover
- Leslie Knope, the main character on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, played by Amy Poehler
- Leslie Winkle, a recurring character on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, played by Sara Gilbert
- Leslie, a flower from The Amazing World of Gumball, a Cartoon Network British animated series
- Leslie Meyers, a character in South Park
- Nurse Leslie, a character in Camp Lazlo
- Leslie Withers, a character from the survival horror video game The Evil Within
- Leslie P. Lilylegs, an antagonist in the Looney Tunes
- Leslie Kyle, a character in the video game, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and the novel, Final Fantasy VII The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story, voiced by Mark Whitten
- Lesley is a playable character in the mobile game
- Captain Leslie Hero, a main character from the adult animated television sitcom Drawn Together and a lecherous parody of Superman and other superheroes
- Leslie Vernon, the main character of the 2006 horror-comedy "", played by Nathan Baesel
- Leslie Noodman, a character from Sanjay and Craig
- The Great Leslie, a character played by Tony Curtis in the 1965 film The Great Race
- Leslie, a lesbian from adult animated series Brickleberry
- Leslie, a student in the Wayside animated TV series
- Leslie Bloomberg, protagonist of upcoming webcomic series 8th Grade.
- Lezly "Big Lez" Mackerel, main character of Australian comedy web series, The Big Lez Show
See also
References
- Web site: Fife Place-name Data :: Leslie. fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk.
- Web site: Meaning, origin and history of the name Leslie. Mike. Campbell. Behind the Name.
- Web site: Laszlo. kidpaw.com. April 28, 2023.
- Web site: Definitions for lászló. definitions.net. April 28, 2023.
- Web site: Vladislav. nameberry.com. April 28, 2023.