Len

Where Len comes from

The dictionaries list Len as a given name — a diminutive of the male given name Leonard — but don't trace where it came from. The record below is what the SSA data shows.

Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #745 among boys — 7 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1885
    Peak, #498
    14 babies named Len — more than any year before or since.
  3. 1886
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #845.
  4. 1929
    Len Deighton born
    English writer
  5. 1973
    Len Wiseman born
    American film director
In the dictionary
  • A diminutive of the male given name Leonard.
Namesakes
  • Len Deighton · English writer, 1929–2026
  • Len Wiseman · American film director, born 1973
  • Len Wein · American comic book writer and editor, 1948–2017
  • Len Lesser · American actor and comedian, 1922–2011
  • Len Bias · American basketball player, 1963–1986

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.