Leon

Leon: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “lion”
Origin: Greek
Say it: LEE-on · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

From Greek leon meaning 'lion'. It has been widely used across Europe and may also appear as a short form of Leonard in some cases.

Greek names English names Spanish names German names Names meaning animal Names meaning strength Names meaning brave Classic names International names

How popular is Leon?

2024765 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Leon in 20242,547

2024 rank#141 boys

Peak year1926

Total US babies since 1880181,458

Leon is rising: use over the last five years is 2.9× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Leon

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Leonardobrave lion · Italian
Leonalioness · Latin
Leonardbrave lion · Germanic
Levonlion · Armenian
Lenardbrave lion · Germanic
Lonlion · English
Theodoregift of God · Greek
Sebastianfrom Sebaste · Greek

Leon questions

What does the name Leon mean?

Leon means "lion". It comes from Greek. From Greek leon meaning 'lion'. It has been widely used across Europe and may also appear as a short form of Leonard in some cases.

Is Leon a boy or girl name?

Leon is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Leon?

2,547 US babies were named Leon in 2024. Its peak year was 1926.

How do you pronounce Leon?

Leon is usually pronounced LEE-on.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.