boy's name
Leon
LEE-on
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 356,364
the United States
#138
2025 births
Leon is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "lion." It comes from leon, the ordinary Greek word for the animal, and is the same name as Leo in a fuller form.
- Leon is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1924, when 2,714 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 1,284 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Leon over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,475 |
| 1890s | 2,149 |
| 1900s | 2,942 |
| 1910s | 15,506 |
| 1920s | 25,891 |
| 1930s | 23,189 |
| 1940s | 23,694 |
| 1950s | 21,468 |
| 1960s | 13,952 |
| 1970s | 9,969 |
| 1980s | 7,700 |
| 1990s | 5,186 |
| 2000s | 5,062 |
| 2010s | 11,768 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 14,123 |
What Leon means
Leon means lion. It is the plain Greek noun rather than a compound or a derived form, and it carries the animal's associations of courage and strength directly, without any softening metaphor in between.
Where Leon comes from
Leon is the Greek leon, lion, which Latin took as leo and which gave the names Leo, Leonard, Leonidas and Lionel. Thirteen popes have been called Leo, and Leonidas, lion-like, led the Spartans at Thermopylae. The name is standard across Europe in various forms — León in Spanish, Léon in French, Lev in Russian by translation rather than by sound — and the Spanish city and former kingdom of León takes its name from a Roman legion rather than from the animal, despite the lion on its arms.
Leon in use
Our data marks Leon as reviving, peaking in 1924, and it now sits at 101 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1880 and has never left them. Leo, the shorter form, has risen much faster in Britain in recent years, so the two are now separated by a wide margin.
How popular is Leon?
In 2025, Leon was given to 2,583 babies in the United States, ranking #138 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Leon is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Leon is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Léon | Léon is Leon written with an acute accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #8 in France, against #743 for Leon. | 136,216 |
| León | León is a rare spelling of Leon, written with a fada and recorded 6 times, mostly in Ireland. | 6 |
| Lëon | Lëon is a rare spelling of Leon, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Leon
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Leon also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Leon over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Leon
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Leon in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Leon
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Leon — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Leon
What does the name Leon mean?
Leon means "lion," from the Greek leon.
Are Leon and Leo the same name?
Effectively yes — Leo is the Latin form of the same Greek word, and both mean lion.
Is the city of León named after the lion?
No. It takes its name from a Roman legion stationed there, despite the lion on its coat of arms.
How popular is the name Leon?
In 2025, Leon was given to 2,583 babies in the United States, ranking #138 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Leon a girl's or a boy's name?
Leon is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Leon?
Leon has 2 syllables.
When was Leon most popular?
Leon peaked in 1924, when 2,714 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Leon?
Leon is usually shortened to Lee and Leo.
Is Leon a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Leon currently ranks #8 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.