Every once in a while a name manages to straddle two opposite categories. Today’s choice sounds both New England prep and Western cowpoke at once.
Thanks to Bek for suggesting Leland as Name of the Day.
Leland has been in the news lately – it was the middle name of legendary broadcaster Walter Cronkite.
The two Lelands recognized by most modern parents are quite a pair.
On one hand, there’s Stanford. Back in the nineteenth century, Leland Stanford amassed a fortune and served as the eighth governor of California. Tragedy struck when his only child, son Leland Jr., fell ill whilst on a grand tour of Europe and died just months shy of his sixteenth birthday. Without an heir, pop turned philanthropic, and established Stanford University in memory of his son.
This lends Leland a privileged air – he’d be right at home in an Edith Wharton novel. The image persisted, and on 1980s television, L.A. Law’s fictional firm was headed by the very proper Leland McKenzie.
But then there’s Leland’s other side, again featured on the small screen.
A&E’s Dog: The Bounty Hunter has made stars out of bail bondsmen Duane Chapman and his sons, Tim and Leland. If you haven’t seen the series, let’s just say that L.A. Law’s Leland and Dog’s Leland wouldn’t have much in common.
The reality show led Leland out of obscurity. (After falling for decades, he had left the Top 1000 by 1999.) Dog debuted in the Fall of 2004. By 2005, Leland ranked #608. By 2007, he was #316.
Today, Leland has faltered slightly, coming in at #407. But don’t count him out. After all, in 1925, he reached as high as #173. That’s about as common as Miles or Peter today.
Leland is an appealing formal name to put on the birth certificate of your son Leo. It’s a strong longer name for Lee. And he’s actually a smidge less dramatic than other options like Leopold or Leonidas, while remaining a bit more dashing that Leonard.
Leland also boasts starbaby cachet – Brendan Fraser and wife Afton Smith chose the name for their third son. (Griffin Arthur, Holden Fletcher and Leland Francis are the trio.)
Other notable Lelands include:
- Broadway powerhouse Leland Hayward, producer of South Pacific and The Sound of Music;
- Journalist Leland Stowe – an early critic of Adolf Hitler;
- Monk‘s Captain Leland Stottemeyer.
It’s also a place name in at least seven American states, plus a river in Michigan.
The name’s meaning, however, is fairly bland. It’s an English place name that means something like “fallow land.” Leland may also be related to Irish surnames McLelland or McClellan. One notable bearer of the surname was Charles Leland, a nineteenth century American writer, known for dabbling in everything from design to folklore to humor.
Overall, Leland sounds most like Wyatt’s little brother – he’s Western, but not unwearable by, say, an accountant or scientist. He could offer a nice compromise when one parent wants to call their son Isaiah and the other is pushing for Gunnar.
Leland is my husband’s name, and he loves it! It’s unusual but definitely a “real” name that people have heard of. It’s not that difficult for people to pronounce or spell – but because it’s more uncommon, it’s sometimes hard to use for reservations and the like, and he will often give an easier name to a hostess, especially if the room is loud. He went by Lee as a small child but refuses to answer to it now. He has kind of a big personality – someone who gets remembered – and so having a more uncommon name goes along with that.
We’ve used his name as a guideline for what we would pick for (so far theoretical) kids. An established but uncommon name that isn’t difficult to spell or pronounce.
I know of a Leland probably high school age now, it was a family name, and his nickname is “Landy”, which I’ve always liked.
Leland is cool. It feels a little nerdy to me, but it’s still cool. My husband says we can’t even consider it, though, as I went to Stanford’s rival school.
My strongest association is definitely with Captain Leland Stottlemeyer. I love Monk!
Ew, Lonnie is one of those names I find makes me shiver a bit… I would never ever think of it as a nickname for Leland.
Thanks, Verity! I’ve always really admired Leland, and it’s been on the long list. I knew a Leland as a friend of a friend growing up, and perhaps it was just that he was soooo cool that really turned me on to the name. I find it does straddle different categories and tastes, which is always a nice quality in a name I think. 🙂
There’s a character on Monk named Leland, too. Not an attractive reminder…
Also, the only Leland I know is 63 years old and goes by Lonnie. This is a name that I would never in a million years use. It sounds slimy and ambulance-chaserish. No thanks.
Lonnie has a real “eeew” factor for me, too. Why does it sound so skeevy?
Jess, I never would have considered a Leland for you, but Lee would fit in quite nicely with Cole and Vaughn.
Bek – I’m glad you suggested Leland for NOTD. I have yet to meet one and never would have thought of using Leo as a nickname.
Once again, an awesome write-up!
I don’t mind Leland. It does have a sophisticated vibe and it does feel a bit waspy. It also would be appealing to parents who are attracted to surnames as first names.
I like Leland. We are considering him as a brother to Cole and Vaughn. I love Lee and I like the IDEA of Leland but still am not sure I quite love him enough. You’re right in that he does seem a good mix of cowboy and office-type which I think we also achieved with our other two. Perhaps he’s a better fit than I first thought.
Twin Peaks is a great reference!! And Leland is pretty great, too, somehow managing to sound alternately like a tony prep school graduate, or a laid-back ranch hand. I don’t think the name has a ton of panache, but it’s got a certain solid style. Lee is a very friendly sounding nickname, too.
For some reason, Leland Palmer from Twin Peaks is the first thing that pops into my head… And really, Monk should have more prominence, being as I’ve watched that series more recently. I guess the creepy weirdness of Twin Peaks is something that stays with me.
That said, Leland is fine. I like it okay. It would be quite nice to meet a little Leland instead of, say, another Lucas/Luke (I like Luke, I just have met a LOT of them recently).