Leif

LAYF (Swedish), LIFE (Norwegian, Danish) LEEF (English)

Swedish; Danish; Norwegian

"heir, descendant"

Leif Origin and Meaning

The name Leif is a boy's name of Scandinavian origin meaning "heir, descendant".

Leif is one of the most recognizable Scandinavian names, thanks to Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson, and is still one of the best, with a pleasant aural association with the word leaf.

Leif Erikson, son of explorer Eric the Red, was the first European to land in North America--some five hundred years before Columbus. Centuries later, the name became associated in the U.S. with 1970s teen idol Leif Garrett, the name peaking on the charts at Number 654 in 1970, dropping off completely in 1987. It climbed back onto the Top 1000 in 2014.

Pronounced LAYF or LIFE in its Scandinavian milieu, Leif and Lief are sometimes pronounced as Leaf in English-speaking countries. Joaquin Phoenix was for a time known as Leaf, in keeping with the nature names of his siblings.

Leif Rank in US Top 1000

# 860 in the US

Leif Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 397 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Leif

• 860 US 2023
• 397 Nameberry 2025
• 19 Unique 2019
• 691 Future 2028
• 837 England 2023
• 296 Germany 2016

20 Names Similar to Leif

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Leif.

• Asa
• Bastian
• Stellan
• Finnian
• Bellamy
• Oren
• Odin
• Ansel
• Sylvan
• Finnick
• Hawthorne
• Ira
• Rafe
• Elio
• Juno
• Lev
• Linden
• Auden
• Marlowe
• Roscoe

Famous People Named Leif

• Leif Erikson Icelandic explorer; first European to arrive in the New World
• Leif Erickson (born William Wycliffe Anderson) American actor
• Leif Garrett (born Leif Per Nervik) American actor and singer
• Leif Enger American novelist
• Leif Manson American reality TV personality ("Survivor: One World")
• Leif Hoste Belgian cyclist
• George Livingston "Leif" Shiras American tennis player
• Leif Ove Andsnes Norwegian pianist
• Leif Coorlim American journalist
• Leif Reid American lawyer; son of politician U.S. politician Harry Reid
• Leif Albert Lotman (b. 2016) son of volleyball player Paul Lotman
• Leif Ostrum son of actor Peter Ostrum

The name Leif in Pop Culture

• Leif ( Reiji in JP ) the Sloth a garden shop owner from the Animal Crossing games.
• Leif character in 'Arcadia' by Lauren Groff.
• Leif Bornewell III a character from the Nickelodeon cartoon "Welcome To The Wayne"
• Leif character in NBC's "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist"