Lachlan vs Leigh
Lachlan and Leighcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 1983, Lachlan was ranked #88 and Leigh #92 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Lachlan was ranked #328 and Leigh #5119 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2015, Lachlan was ranked #355 and Leigh #554 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Lachlan and Leigh over time
Lachlan and Leigh appear together in 2 published lists, across 37 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Leigh reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Lachlan in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Lachlan and Leigh changed places 5 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1997 and 2015, ending at #355 and #554.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys24 shared years, 1996–2024
Lachlan held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Leigh in 2.
Highest recorded here: Lachlan #328 in 2024, Leigh #423 in 1996.
The order changed in 1998: Lachlan moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #678 and #522; by 1998 that had become #351 and #616.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Lachlan #328, Leigh #5119.
Republic of Ireland · Boys13 shared years, 1997–2015
Lachlan held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Leigh in 7.
Highest recorded here: Lachlan #346 in 2008, Leigh #214 in 2003.
The order changed in 2011: Lachlan moved ahead. In 2010 they stood at #720 and #448; by 2011 that had become #540 and #730.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Lachlan #355, Leigh #554.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Lachlan | Leigh |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | Traditionally understood as 'Viking' or 'Scandinavian' via its root name — someone associated with the land of the Norsemen. A secondary reading of that root gives 'land of the lakes'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Lochlann ('Scandinavia') | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɒklən/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #34 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #5119 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 71/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Lachlan has a recorded origin (Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Lochlann ('Scandinavia')); Leigh does not have one recorded yet.
- Lachlan has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Leigh.
- A meaning is recorded for Lachlan; Leigh doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Lachlan
Popularity journey
First recorded1982
First recorded at #95 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1982 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1982–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2005 (recorded 1982–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #34 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Leigh
Popularity journey
First recorded1969
First recorded at #443 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1969 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1981–1983
Highest recorded position: #92 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1983 (recorded 1981–1983).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5119 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys