Les

Les is a masculine name that is used as a short form of Leslie or Lester. Its meanings are 'the garden of holly' as well as 'the one from the fortress by the River Soar.'

What does the name Les mean?

Les, a masculine name, is a short form of Leslie or Lester. It has the meanings 'the garden of holly' and 'the one from the fortress by the River Soar.' The name Leslie derives from the Old Irish words leas for 'garden' and cuilenn or celyn for 'holly.' The name Lester is composed of the Old English elements Ligore, which means 'clan name of a people living by the River Soar,' and ċeaster, which means 'fort,' 'stronghold,' 'castle,' 'camp,' 'military camp,' or 'fortified settlement.'

Where does the name Les come from?

The name Les has its roots in Old English and Old Irish, with the meaning 'the garden of holly.' The Old Irish components for Leslie are leas for 'garden' and cuilenn or celyn for 'holly.' For Lester, the Old English elements Ligore, which describes the clan name of a people living by the River Soar, and ċeaster, which refers to a fortress or similar settlements, are derived. The languages used are English and Old Irish.

How do you pronounce Les?

Les is pronounced like 'Läss.'

Popularity

In Germany, Les is a rather rare name. In 2021, it ranked 5,195th on the list of the most common male baby names. Its best placement was in 2013, reaching 3,619th. Over the past ten years, the name has been given less than 10 times as a first name, placing it 8,008th in the ten-year statistics. From 2010 to 2024, Les ranks 8,037th.

Famous people

• Les Austin (rugby player from Australia)
• Les Baxter (musician from the USA)
• Les Beehre (rugby player from New Zealand)
• Les Berry (English cricketer)
• Les Boyd (Australian rugby player)
• Les Browne (chemist from the UK)
• Les Bubb (actor from the UK)
• Les Chapman (British footballer)
• Les Collinson (British football player)
• Les Ebdon (English chemist)
• Les Elgart (American musician)
• Les Favell (Australian cricketer)
• Les Gold (actor in the DMAX series 'Hardcore Pawn')
• Les Howe (American baseball player)
• Les Humphries (musician, singer, and founder of the 'Les Humphries Singers')
• Les Ingman (cyclist from England)
• Les Kiss (Australian rugby player)
• Les McAteer (British boxer)
• Les McCann (American jazz musician)
• Les McKeown (English singer)