Meaning: Its source is leas cuillinn, a Gaelic name meaning "Holly garden."

Nickname For: Lesley, Leslie and Lester

Popularity: The name Les ranked 895th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.

Narrative: This was a surname for a Scottish noble family closely associated with the royal house of Stewart.

It was popularized as a first name by Hungarian-born English actor Leslie Howard (1890-1943). As Ashley Wilkes in the 1939 film version of Gone With the Wind, he succeeded in popularizing both his personal name and his character's name.

In recent years both names, though still popular, are more commonly given to girls.