Lesley

English

Alternative forms

• Leslie

Etymology

From a placename in Aberdeenshire, originally Lesslyn, Scottish Gaelic lios cuileann (“garden of hollies”).

Proper noun

Lesley

1. A Scottish surname.
2. A female given name transferred from the surname, used since the 18th century. Popular in the U.K. in the mid-20th century.
3. (rare) A male given name transferred from the surname.

Usage notes

The male given name is usually spelled Leslie.

Quotations

• 1792, Robert Burns, Bonnie Lesley:

  O saw ye bonnie Lesley,
  As she gaed o'er the border.
  She's gane, like Alexander,
  To spread her conquests farther.

Anagrams

• Yelles, Selley